Kill the Bill

This is today's Press Release:

GOPHER JOINS DEAN IN “KILL THE BILL”

Missoula—Melinda Gopher, a candidate for the U.S. House, joins with former Presidential Candidate and former national Chair of the DNC Howard Dean, in calling for the U.S. Senate to kill the Baucus Health Care Reform bill. Statement of Gopher follows:

I believe the Democrats have the political power to enact single payer health care through the budget reconciliation process--now. I urge Congress to step back to the health bill left by the late Sen. Kennedy, insert single payer provisions and rush it through the reconciliation process. Single payer must be enacted now as a last ditch effort in response to the economic crisis we are in. Baucus has proposed that many of the reforms begin to occur in 2013; most American families, and Montana families are in economic distress. We cannot wait that long for affordable health care.

The Baucus bailout bill for the health insurance industry must be killed now. The provision of mandated coverage is a scary proposition; this may be the provision that has brought the teabag movement to life. This saga has gone on for too long, at a time of high unemployment and the deepest recession since the Great Depression. This bill may very well plunge us into a second Great Depression. This industry reform bill is out of the means for most Americans. We have not addressed the underlying economic conditions that have resulted in millions of families losing their health insurance coverage in the first place. We have lost jobs---this is what we must be addressing.

Democrats must maintain control of the U.S. Congress—the Baucus bill is hugely unpopular; the American people are expressing their hatred of this bill. More telling, a good majority of the nation was exasperated and disgusted when Baucus took single payer off the table early on. I think this is a gross miscalculation that will result in higher costs for families at a time our nations has lost jobs by the millions. Prosperity may be lost for a generation in our country. We must do health care right.

A single payer, Medicare for All bill is the only mechanism to rein in high costs of health care. For the teabagger, anti reform movement, insert a provision in the bill that will allow them to keep their insurance, as well as enabling the purchase of additional coverage on the private market. Allow those that wish to stay in the private market entirely; the opportunity to do so. This is a way to counter act the accusations of government rationing and death panel nonsense. Other nations have enacted private market insurance as an add-on to a single payer system. These nations, such as France, deliver less costly health care that is higher in quality.

I reiterate this bill is not the change people voted for in the 2008 historic elections. I urge the melding of the Kennedy bill to the House bill with the creation of a single payer system. This is the only viable alternative before the American people; we just cannot afford anything else. This is not a right or left issue; single payer makes economic sense.