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Florida's system is among the worst in the country, ranking third in percent of residents without health insurance "" a whopping 20.5 percent, or 3.7 million Floridians. Three million Floridians count on Medicare. Yet Republican National Chair Michael Steele, condemning Obama's health reform last month at the National Press Club, tried to justify Republicans' opposition to Medicare in the 60's by saying that even now, "There is a debate on the overall impact of Medicare on costs and the social fabric." Apparently Republicans would still vote TODAY against Medicare.
Obama and the Democrats have brought everyone to the table. It has not worked. Stephen Colbert joked that having insurance companies at the table in this debate is "like inviting a drug dealer to your intervention."
Opposition is stiffening from key business groups like the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Roundtable. The insurance industry is one of their key constituencies, and the insurance companies want the highest profit possible. The sooner we realize they're not on patients' side despite reform's potential savings to business and consumers, the sooner the nation will achieve health care for all and save lives.
Weiner was Chief of the Staff of the U.S. House Aging Committee and Health Subcommittee under Chairman Claude Pepper (D-FL) and spokesman for the White House Drug Policy Office. Jordan Osserman, from Boca Raton, is policy analyst at Robert Weiner Associates.
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