Prescription for Change
March 22nd, 2010 | Editorial Cartoons | 7 Comments
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After more than sixty years of failed attempts, President Obama tomorrow will sign into law a sweeping reform of America’s health care system. It’s certainly not a perfect bill. I’d have preferred Medicare for all, with substantive changes in how reimbursements are made, but given the toxic political climate, that was not possible. I watched much of the final debate on CSPAN, which was in turns inspiring and stomach-turning. If I were a Republican, I’d be deeply embarrassed by many of the outrageous comments, distortions and outright lies that were said in opposition to the bill. No, this is not a government takeover of health care. No, it is not a left-wing communist plot to enslave Americans in a new totalitarianism (yes, more than one deranged House member actually made that and similar accusations). No, it will not destroy the economy.
The difference in what was said on both sides was telling. Democrats often talked about how this reform helps people who are trapped in the broken system we have now, unable to obtain health insurance because of pre-exisitng conditions, or because they got sick and their insurance company dropped them, or they lost their job and their insurance along with it. Republicans never mentioned the people this reform helps. Their opposition, when it wasn’t veering off into conspiracy-theory looney-land, or fretting about abortion, was on philosophic or economic grounds–it costs too much to insure people or government just shouldn’t be involved. Not one person from that side of the aisle suggested any alternative that would extend insurance to people who are locked out by insurance industry abuses. Nor did any of the anti-abortion Republicans (or Democrats, for that matter) seem to understand that access to health care reduces abortions.
It’s depressing that this could not be done with bipartisan support; Washington is indeed so broken that only one party seems to care at all about the plight of millions of Americans. I don’t know what the other party cares about beyond taking back control of government, even if that means adding to the suffering of millions.
I’m delighted that the Democrats finally used their majority to pass meaningful legislation. That’s what they were elected to do, even if it means a tougher re-election campaign in November. No matter what happens then, this was a good day for America.
Topics: Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats, health care bill, health care reform, Nancy Pelosi, opinion
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I am amazed at how often you “hit the nail on the head.” Thank you.
I don’t think that anyone, including the party in question, knows what the one party actually cares about beyond the fact that they believe that they must regain control of the government.
Dear Ed,
I am thrilled to see your liberal bleeding heart work back in the Denver newspaper. You and I have had a few honest exchanges in the past. I still have the ‘Where’s my Rocky?” cartoon, and it can bring a tear to my eyes even now.
But you knew this was coming, from the New Prescription cartoon you left out the words “no matter how much it costs as long as other people pay for it.” Good to see your work, even if you are still wrong.
Love to you and your family,
Hank
You also left off the instructions “Take exactly as directed, no more and no less, regardless of whether you want to or not.” Also, “Price to be determined. But it’s going to be a lot.”
Side effects may include fees on drug makers and the insurance industry, new taxes on wages and unearned income, reduction of personal liberty regarding health insurance, and new regulations on hospitals and the medical profession. These side effects could lead to further damage to an already faltering economy.
I would be worried, but fortunately the government has already gotten its feet wet in the medical industry with programs like Medicare, which is financially sound and never denies a claim – right?
The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!
For all the Chicken Littles, here is a short article on just a few of the awful things that are going to happen now that health insurance reform has passed:
http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/03/22/5-overblown-fears-about-healthcare-reform.html
I am totally delighted to see your article and am in total agreement! My wife and I have been turned down for medical insurance because she had diabetes and I had suffered a stroke (we never found the problem that lead to that stroke.) The effects of that have been horrendous. We’ve had to do without care and or pay through the nose if something came up that we couldn’t fight alone.
I am in total agreement with you, thank you for saying the obvious.