Is a Cure For The Health Care Debate In Sight?

Image via Wikipedia

The debate over health care has been with us forever.  Well, it may not be forever.  But it sure seems like it.

President Barack Obama, who's apparently ready to move on just like the rest of us, has told Congress that he wants the $950 million health care package he's been stumping for on his desk to sign before the end of this month.

The President must have come to that conclusion after hosting a much-ballyhooed summit, consisting of congressional leaders from both parties.  It was a mind-numbing snooze-fest, seemingly made for C-SPAN, that was full of the usual partisan talking points and not much else.  But then again, laws aren't usually made in front of the TV cameras.

Having failed to do much of anything with a super-majority, Senate Democrats must now pass Obama's plan by themselves through a process called reconcilliation--which simply means it's a majority vote, and they just happen to have the numbers.  The Republicans might object, but they've used it in the past to push through tax cuts (twice) for George W. Bush when he was president.

The GOP won't be of much help in the upcoming voting.  They say they want a do-over because they believe Obama's version of health care is too much of a bitter pill for the American People to swallow.  What's their alternative?  It seems they want no bill at all or, if there must be one, it would be written in such a way that it would favor the health care providers.

If you want to know how desperate the situation is for people who can't afford health care, look at Minnesota.  Governor Tim Pawlenty has vetoed a bill that would continue General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for poor and indigent individuals past April 1, citing its expense with the state facing a $994 million deficit.  The Minnesota Senate overrode the veto, but the House did not.  Negotiations are ongoing for some kind of compromise.

If GAMC is not renewed, its 30,000-odd participants would be moved to Minnesota Care, which some people view as an inadequate solution.  What happens when these people get sick?  They go to the hospital emergency room, where by law doctors have to treat them.  And who pays for this?  Minnesota taxpayers.

There are similar stories like this all over the country.  While the debate goes on in Washington, people are getting sicker (and in some cases dying) because the cost of health care is getting beyond their reach.  It's time to stop talking and start acting on a healthier America.  Because something this important shouldn't wait forever.