There is one positive side effect of the Wall Street meltdown.  It has essentially ended the dead-end stalemate of single payer vs. marketplace health care reform. Nothing will be left for government to fund health care. Those who want to leave health care to the market place should remain in their hiding pens for now. So where does this economic crisis leave health care reform?

Right where it should be—in the hands of the public. Fortunately, the public is not as divided on this issue as the parties and the pundits would lead us to believe. The reform debate has always been held hostage by partisan politics or groups with defined narrow solutions whose diatribes against each other have drowned out other voices. Thankfully, the majority of the people do prefer something practical with hope to solve the problem.

We would like to offer for public discussion, our Voters’ Health Care Platform.  We think this is a solid basis to start a larger discussion of health care reform that the public would support. We think the need is urgent a people lose jobs and their benefits, more pressure will be put on already overburdened hospitals and their staff to provide care for the uninsured. 

Not only that, but now more pressure exists on the states who must balance their budgets. As their revenues decline, there will be greater pressure on the states to cut Medicaid, which currently is the fastest growing part of every state budget. 

More common ground exists than people believe.  We need to start with that common ground and then build consensus. 

See our platform as well as the research behind the platform.

Best, Kathleen