VPIRG: Time is right to come together on health care
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By Susan Baker - Published: March 16, 2009
Vermont has been given a great opportunity to be part of the national discussion on health care reform when the state plays host to one of President Barack Obama's five national forums on health reform Tuesday at the Davis Center in Burlington. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) is pleased to welcome the Obama administration to Vermont for this important event.
This is a rare moment of opportunity for comprehensive reform at the federal level that we haven't seen in a generation or more. When the Clintons tried to overhaul the health care system in the early 1990s, the situation looked similar to what we're facing today. Regular cost increases for health insurance plans and prescription drugs were considered unsustainable, and reformers had support from both the White House and Congress to overhaul the faulty health care system.
However, that effort lacked a key element which ultimately led to its failure: a public movement. A unified public voice was missing, so we were without forces strong enough to counter the powerful insurance industry's war on comprehensive health care reform. Remember the incessant Harry and Louise ads that helped to sink the Clintons' reform campaign?
We have learned our lesson and must not squander our opportunity during this unique time in history to win high quality, affordable health care for everyone in this state and country. The president and members of Congress now have strong support from a broader range of interests, including businesses, labor, faith, medical, and consumer groups. Health care reform is once again on the national agenda not only because it is the right thing to do, but because there is general agreement that it will be impossible to meet long-term economic goals without significant reform of health care.
VPIRG believes that we must find common ground with those who share this interest in meaningful health care reform because we simply cannot afford to wait any longer, and we cannot afford to fail. We must unite in the fight for health care reform in the best way possible. This means organizing our voices and support, and holding the decision makers accountable to their promises of change.
VPIRG is working with over 800 organizations at the federal level as part of the Health Care for America Now campaign. Our goal is to win comprehensive health care reform in 2009 that allows consumers to choose their own private plan or a high quality, affordable public health insurance plan that will meet the needs of individuals, families, and businesses. Together we can win this fight and realize our goal of an improved, comprehensive health care system.
If you have any questions or would like to submit your comments to someone attending the forum, please contact me at susan@vpirg.org or call 802-223-8421, ext. 8420.
Susan Baker is a health care advocate with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. VPIRG is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer and environmental advocacy organization in Vermont.
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