"Memo To The President"

From Robert Reich at TPM:

Mr. President:

Momentum for universal health care is slowing dramatically on Capitol Hill. Moderates are worried, Republicans are digging in, and the medical-industrial complex is firing up its lobbying and propaganda machine.

But, as you know, the worst news came days ago when the Congressional Budget Office weighed in with awful projections about how much the leading healthcare plans would cost and how many Americans would still be left out in the cold. Yet these projections didn't include the savings that a public option would generate by negotiating lower drug prices, doctor fees, and hospital costs, and forcing private insurers to be more competitive. Projecting the future costs of universal health care without including the public option is like predicting the number of people who will get sunburns this summer if nobody is allowed to buy sun lotion. Of course the costs of universal health care will be huge if the most important way of controlling them is left out of the calculation.

Read the details at TPM.

Take the inclusion of the public option issue to the people, President Obama. Three out of four of the citizens want universal health care. You're in the bully pulpit now. Use the pulpit to make your case. Don't count on the Democrats in Congress to get this done without strong leadership from you with the citizens of the country standing behind you.

Folks, I'm afraid the public option is in the process of being squeezed out of the health care plan because of pressure from the drug companies, the health insurance companies, and the AMA, all of whom give big bucks to the members of Congress.

Here's something you can do. Sign the petition in support of including the public option in health care legislation.

Thanks to Paul the BB for the reminder.