Is it moral to amass enormous profits on the backs of seriously or chronically ill individuals? Is it moral with regard to any illness? Is it moral to require vulnerable citizens to carry a financial burden sloughed off by multi-national corporations and insurers? Is your experience of our health care system one that denotes caring, respectful, and efficient care?
If your answers to all of the above are “no,” I want to hear from you. Your local, state, and national government representatives need to hear from you. And your church leadership needs to hear from you. You are not alone and your voice can make a difference. You are in step with every health care poll ever conducted among the people of this country.
The Citizens Health Care Working Group‘s teleconference at the University of Minnesota last week was no exception. The twenty one-university sites participating from all across the nation were formed into smaller working groups via teleconference. Without exception, the general consensus was that our current health care system does not need fine tuning or merely have major problems—“it is in a state of crisis.” And—without exception—the preferred solution was a universal, single payer system.
The Citizens Health Care Working Group was mandated by Congress to provide a nationwide public debate about improving the healthcare system. The findings will be reported to the President and Congress by September 2006. The working group’s teleconference at the University of Minnesota was relayed to an overflow crowd of more than one hundred participants.
The working group’s questionnaire is not without bias. It doesn’t begin to address the disparity and complications of tying health insurance to the work place; a theme of great strength at the Health Care Summit in Washington, DC in September of 2004.
A “Universal Medicare for All” or a “Federal Health Insurance” plan paid for by all, and accountable to all, could be capable of addressing problems far beyond direct heath care delivery. Putting special interests on notice while providing Americans with the moral authority to implement an independent, solutions-oriented, non-discriminatory care system is what a universal health plan is all about.
To see how your state’s health status, costs, and budgets measure up, visit the Kaiser Family Foundation’s website.
In the meantime, you can participate in the working group’s national debate. Start by participating in one of the upcoming community meetings.
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