From her diary: Ed talked about how important it was for all of us to come out for the public option, that we can’t let the insurance companies keep setting up the game for their own benefit anymore. This is where the Portland audience turned on him.... A mother of a teenage son with cerebral palsy told their story of being denied physical therapy for more than two visits a year, simply because her son was over the age of 12. He used to walk, and now he can’t. Single payer is the answer, she said...Ed was not yet moved by this. The public option is do-able, he said. He wanted to work for what was achievable. He acknowledged that single payer would be the best way to go, but flatly stated there was not enough support... A man from the UK came up to speak about the healthcare system there, which saved his brother from cancer recently. How long did he have to wait for care, Ed asked? No time at all, was the answer. The tumor was discovered and the brother was in the ER within a day. 16 weeks of chemo followed, and all was covered by the UK’s single payer plan... The tide was starting to turn for Big Ed. We heard from more audience members promoting single payer. People from Jobs With Justice andMad As Hell Doctors came and spoke up for workers who lose care because its tied to their jobs and patients that need care who can’t get it.... And then Dr. Frankel, a Portland pediatrician since 1965 took the floor. The good doctor talked about how he and others like him just want to help their patients. He said that the co-op/exchange system is already a known failure in Massachusetts. The plan costs and deductibles are too high, pushing people into the zone of $20K+ in medical bills that result in over 62% of all bankruptcies in this country today. ....He said that we needed Ed’s voice to be the clarion call to stand up for all of us on single payer. Then he told Ed that just hours before, Speaker Pelosi guaranteed that a single payer amendment to the health care bill, HR 676, would get a full debate and vote in the house after the August recess. Dr. Frankel got a standing ovation from the overheated packed house....This was the final turning point for Ed Schultz. He had heard enough. Ed promised everyone in that room that he would start pushing for single payer on the radio, on TV and at his appearances...
While most of the A List blogs continue to ignore single payer advocacy, the comments in this diary were very supportive. This isn't really about Ed Shultz. I think this is a window into the way ordinary people are viewing the health reform debate. This is about all the people who came out and said "Hell no!", we don't want a public option, we want public health care. I believe there are people all over this great country wondering what this fandangled health plan is all about. They don't care if they get to choose who pays the bills, they want to choose their doctor, they want their doctor to help them choose their treatment, and they don't want to have to worry about how their care is paid for, they just want it paid. I agree with Pelosi, health insurers are "villians", let's get rid of them. Let's save money, make equitable health care a birth right, and put our working people first for a change. Someone called this Single Payer Summer, and I think that's what it is. Talk to a neighbor, a friend, a coworker, a family member and ask them to stand up and be heard. Here are a number of sites that can help you contact your congressperson and ask them to vote for single payer this fall: http://www.pnhp.org/ http://www.1payer.net/index.php http://www.now.org/ http://www.democrats.com/ |
