North Carolina Democrats Become the Latest to Endorse the Public Option
Posted on September 3rd, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Congress Watch
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This weekend, North Carolina Democrats became the latest in a series to endorse a public health insurance option:
Be it Further resolved, that the State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party directs Party Chairman David Young to instruct Senator Kay Hagan, Representatives G.K. Butterfield NC-1, Bob Etheridge NC-2, David Price NC-4, Mike McIntyre NC-7, Larry Kissell NC-8, Heath Shuler NC-11, Mel Watt NC-12, and Brad Miller NC-13 that the North Carolina Democratic Party and its members – in the absence of Single-Payer as a choice — strongly support a robust Public Option as an alternative and expect their Congressional Representatives to make a robust Public Option mandatory; and
Be it Further resolved, that Chairman David Young conveys to Senator Hagan and our Democratic Congressional House Representatives that a bill without at least a Public Option is not acceptable to the Democratic Party of North Carolina and its members and urges our Congressional delegation to vote against any health care reform bill that does not contain a robust Public Option.
I think their message to Senator Hagan and their House delegation is clear.
A few weeks ago, a coalition of Montana Democratic elected officials passed a similar resolution and pushed Senator Max Baucus to represent their views:
U.S. Senator Max Baucus has finally broken his silence regarding his personal position on including a public option in health care reform legislation. Last Monday night (8/17), in an unprecedented conference call to Montana Democratic central committee chairs, the powerful leader of the Senate Finance Committee told his strongest supporters that he supported a public option.
While discussing the obstacles to getting a public option through the Senate, he assured his forty listeners, "I want a public option too!"
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In the aftermath of the teleconference, a coalition of eighteen Montana counties in the Senator's home state decided to move forward with their plan to issue a Unified Statement accompanied by a joint press release. The statement sends a loud and clear message to their Senator: Any health care reform package coming out of his Senate Finance Committee must contain, at a minimum, a provision for a strong public option.
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Calling themselves the Coalition of the United Montana Democratic Central Committees, the group's statement announces it has "established a position in support of a strong public option as an essential element in health care reform."
These resolutions are popping up all over the country, in blue states like California and in more traditionally "moderate" states like Montana, North Carolina, and Colorado.
The message is clear, and will only become clearer as more of these resolutions are passed.
77% of the American people want a public health insurance option. Elected officials in states all over the country are standing up and declaring their support. This is grassroots support the Senate can and should act on.
The Senate has to ignore the insider politics that say a public health insurance option isn't possible. The country wants this and needs this, and the overwhelming majority of the people are saying so over and over. The majority in the Senate should reflect the majority in the country.
Senators, do what the people want!
"A representative of the people owes them not just his industry, but his judgment. And, he does them a disservice if he sacrifices it to their opinion."
My daughter is studying at Cambridge. On her arrival she looked for a doctor and medical clinic. She receives free care. She sees the same doctor, receives good medical care and can walk to services. I also have a son in California who split up with his wife two years ago. They didn't divorce because she has pre-existing conditions that forced her to stop working. Because they can't afford the COBRA premiums, and she can't get insured, he's kept her on his plan even though they are separated. He's a good Charlie Brown.
It's absurd that insurance carriers can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. It's absurd that a foreign country provides my daughter free insurance just because she's there legally and that in America my daughter-in-law can't even pay to get coverage.
Our CEO recently lectured us about being better health consumers. He provided an anecdotal story about how he had to have a MRI and the clinic would not tell him the price because the insurance covered it. This, he implied was the consumer’s fault. Is he kidding? This is the insurance companies fault.
Wake up people. Stop believing this nonsense. I want Republican and Democrat elected officials to start acting like the actually care about Americans. Stop procrastinating. Stop allowing talking heads to convince you that they speak for us. Stop turning your back on these tough issues. We pay for your salary and your medical benefits – you don’t seem to see anything socialistic about that……..
Please keep a record of all these politician's names in order to make sure they are the first to sign themselves and their families up for this wonderful public health insurance they want to provide us all with.
Oh,Jason Rosenbaum,I expect you to sign up as well. All of you need to lead us by your fine examples.
If you think dealing with the Federal government will somehow be better/easier than dealing with a private company…well I've got some really nice beach front property here in Arizona that I'd like to sell you at a very reasonable price.
Congress would have to choose the public option under reform:
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090714/REG/307149981