Shouting about health care dies down, thankfully

Now that the shouting about health-care reform has died down, members of Congress are getting down to the business of crafting an actual bill designed to provide health insurance to all Americans. Even the protesters, many of whom appeared not to know what they were protesting, will be better off when reforms are enacted. Now is the time for less shouting and more listening.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) made the courageous move to present a bill to the Senate Finance Committee this week, perhaps anticipating knee-jerk reactions from the opposition. Changes have already been made to the document, making insurance more affordable for low- and middle-income families and reducing penalties for citizens who choose to go uninsured. Some are predicting the bill will become law one day before the end of the year.

That day cannot come soon enough. Health insurance has become prohibitively expensive and insurers are paying more attention to stockholders than they are to policy holders. The cost of policies has outpaced the cost of living for more than a decade, while insurance companies have resorted to dropping customers who get sick, in order to increase their profits.

In the midst of it all, political opposition to reform has resulted in widespread misinformation, including the assertion that “death panels� will be organized to determine whether elderly citizens can live or die. False statements have helped fuel angry protests, even before a health-care bill had been presented.

In a health-care forum Monday, Congressman Rosa DeLauro (D-3) pleaded with constituents to tone down the rhetoric. “We can be on all sides of this issue, but I don’t think we should be lying about it. The public debate should be about the issue itself and not lies and half-truths.�

DeLauro hit the nail on the head. Blind opposition to health-care reform isn’t helping anyone, and those leading the masses should find something more constructive to do. A reformed health-insurance system, complete with increased support for preventative medicine and a greater role for Medicare, will be good for the economy, as it will keep more people healthy and working. An estimated $850 billion price tag, over 10 years, will amount to an investment in the future of the country, paying far more in dividends than, say, the occupation of Iraq.

Democrats in Congress appear to have enough votes to pass health-care reform without Republican support, and if it comes to that, they should use that power. Mindless shouting should not be enough to kill much-needed reforms.

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