ADVANCE Perspective: HIM
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Alas, the most coverage I caught of yesterday’s health care summit was a poor attempt to read the closed captioning on CNN while pedaling away at the gym. So I was eager to get into work this morning and read up on what went down.
Well, there weren’t any ground-breaking revelations. Health care costs are strangling the economy, the number of uninsured is rising and the government can’t keep sitting on its hands-this we know. But the summit wasn’t intended to unveil a gleaming, radical new program that would solve the nation’s health care problems. Instead, it was more a kick-off to the search for solutions. A health care pep rally, if you will.
Much like my fond memories of high school rallies, the summit fostered unity among otherwise contentious cliques. According to a number of reports, the atmosphere was much more positive than it was during the Clinton administration, when many lawmakers felt slighted after a reform plan was drafted behind closed doors. This time around, Obama is taking steps to air grievances, suggestions and policy decisions-not just to Congress, but often to the cameras, too.
In addition to congressmen, lobbyists and other health care stakeholders, several ordinary citizens were among the 150 attendees at the summit. The group helped open the summit by delivering a report to Obama highlighting the results of 3,000 community discussions held last December. More than 30,000 citizens participated in the open forums, which Obama called for to get a thorough read on the public’s thoughts about health care. It’s another effort on the part of the new administration to bring transparency to government and keep the public informed–well, those who care to be informed, at least.
Despite the rah-rah for reform, Obama was straightforward about the challenges. He called the budget plan a “down payment” on reform, and admitted the changes made now may not yield big league benefits for 20 years.
Nevertheless–cue motivational music–Obama said the time to act is now. America has been trying to reform health care since Teddy Roosevelt was in office, he noted, and there’s always been an excuse for why it wasn’t the right time. Despite the current economic crisis, Obama urged policymakers to move forward with reform and continue the momentum the administration has already built in the last 2 months. In fact, he vowed to go against anyone who stands in the way. While the summit was an amicable gathering, he’ll likely have a number of adversaries lining up at his locker.
[Want to find out what community members in your state had to say about health care? Read a sample and download the full report at www.healthreform.gov.]
