Support a Public Option in Health Care Reform

It is my position, and the position of most progressives, that there will be no substantial health care reform WITHOUT a public option in the mix of reforms, regulations, and options for individuals and families. The primary argument, made unfortunately by my Senator, Mitch McConnell, is that the private sector can't compete with a public options because the private sector's primary interest is profit, and the public option would focus on actual health care (okay, he didn't add the last bit, but that is the logical implication).

Personally, I would prefer a single-payer system like the National Health Service in Britain or better yet, the the Swedish or French systems, but just getting a public option on the table is going to be a battle, though Nancy Pelosi said the other day that, "a health care overhaul that did not include a public option wouldn't make it through the House because it "wouldn't have the votes." That is good to hear! Thank you, Speaker Pelosi.

So, I urge all of the readers here to consider going to the Congressional Website and plug in your zip code, which will give you your Representative and contacting him/her and asking them to support a PUBLIC OPTION as part of the Health Care Reform Legislation in the coming weeks and months. Without a public option, there won't be health care reform, just an additional band aid put on the hemorrhaging artery of failed health care in America. I just wrote Ben Chandler and it took maybe three minutes.

I'll cover more of the healthcare reform debate as it evolves over the coming months.