In my opinion, Single Payer Health Care (SPHC) is the best alternative to fix our broken health care system. I hope you will attend the Health Care Forum on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, at 6:30 PM, at the Thousand Oaks Library to learn more about this issue and its solution. This event is sponsored by the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, Simi/Moorpark Democratic Club, Camarillo Democratic Club and SoCal Grassroots. While many of us support SPHC we are also aware that President Obama is working hard to reform our health care system at the national level. I will attempt to provide a very broad illustration of the key elements of these two solutions. I will also lay out why it is important to respect and understand that, as Democratic activists, some of us may be drawn to support either or both plans.
SPHC is a plan that eliminates the insurance companies and uses the administrative cost savings to insure the uninsured. It has been called Medicare for all. SPHC is currently working its way through the California legislature in the form of Senate Bill 810, sponsored by Mark Leno. Senate Bill 810 is the successor bill to Senate Bill 840 which was sponsored by Sheila Kuehl. One way to learn more about SPHC is to visit the Healthcare For All website at www.healthcareforall.org. Healthcare For All has a very detailed strategy to pass SPHC in California with the expectation of an eventual state by state adoption.
President Obama’s national health care plan is evolving as we go to press. Rather than repeat the failure to gain heath care reform that occurred during the Clinton administration, the President is first asking Congress to present legislation within the parameters that he presented during the campaign. His goal is a plan that provides and mandates coverage for most Americans; contains a choice between existing insurance plans and a public plan; and is financed by deficit neutral cost saving measures. President Obama believes there is no political viability for a SPHC plan at the national level. Even the public option part of his plan is becoming a hard sell to Blue Dog Democrats and of course most Republicans. More information about the President’s national health care plan can be obtained by visiting www.healthreform.gov.
We are looking at two battles: 1) a long term battle for SPHC for California (and eventually the rest of the country) and 2) a battle now at the national level for Obama’s health care reform. There is concern among some SPHC supporters that a watered down national program may be so ineffective that even if passed the result will hurt the chance for success of SPHC. Both plans face uphill battles primarily due to the health care insurance industry’s willingness and ability to spend vast sums in order to maintain status quo.
I suggest that Democrats do their own homework and decide which health care reform campaign they wish to support with their volunteer hours and pocketbooks. Supporters of both campaigns are recruiting volunteers at the club level to participate in phone banking and other outreach activities. This is similar to when we are asked to work for local and state level candidates versus national candidates. We need to make up our own minds on how our efforts can be most useful within the constraints of our time and resources. During 2008, I worked on the campaigns for Obama for President, my local school district bond/tax measures and for local candidates. There will be many issues and candidates to support in 2009, 2010 and beyond. I hope you will be active, while remaining supportive and respectful of your fellow activists regardless of how they choose to support Democratic candidates and causes. Very critically, whenever possible, we should try to coordinate our efforts in these endeavors.
Jay Kapitz
Election Strategy Chair
Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley
