Day: March 16, 2010

The final vote on health care reform is going to be close. And Dennis Kucinich may be the one vote between victory and defeat. Kucinich says he won’t vote for the bill because it is a bail out of insurance companies and is not his preferred way of reforming health care, single payer. So far, only a very few advocates for single payer, who could have substantial influence over Kucinich, has asked him to vote for the bill. As far as I know, no one from Pennsylvania, which has one of the most active and impressive movements for single payer, has asked him to support the bill. As far as I know, Pennsylvania single payer advocates like Walter Tsou and Chuck Pennachio have said that the legislation should be defeated. This is very hard for me to understand for a few reasons. Continue reading

The bill we are supporting in Washington is not perfect. It’s not what I’ve worked for in the last twenty months. But it will save tens of thousands of lives, keep hundreds of thousands out of bankruptcy, reduce the suffering of millions, and improve the living standard and reduce the anxiety of tens of millions. And like all the other half-way measures and compromised bills that have characterized American reform efforts, including the Social Security Act of 1935 and the Medicare Act of 1965, it will create its own pressure for expansion and further reform. Continue reading