CHANGE IS ON THE WAY!

The heavy lift is over.  Having passed the House of Representatives, the Healthcare Reform legislation goes to the Senate where it will pass.  This bill is not all that we wanted and hoped for, but it is a momentous breakthrough in our move toward universal healthcare in America.  Ninety-five percent of Americans will now be covered by healthcare, secure that they cannot be thrown-off of their insurance  coverage.  This is a step toward finishing the promises of so many presidents, Democratic and Republican.

Historically, this accomplishment will likely be seen as among the boldest of American presidents:  Social Security;  Medicare;  Civil Rights;  and Healthcare Reform.  This is a transcendent and transformative healthcare law.  And, change is coming — but not overnight as when LBJ signed the Medicare bill and said, “Medicare begins tomorrow.”

This time change will come in steps.  It will take four years to change the existing system and cover 32 million people.  The change will be driven by subsidies, a mandate for most Americans to have insurance, employer obligations, and the establishment of health exchanges where Americans will buy insurance.  There will be new rules for insurance companies that will bar them from denying insurance to sick people — both by explicitly barring companies from refusing to insure people with pre-existing conditions, and barring them from kicking sick people to the side of the road once they need treatment.

America owes much to our elected officials who have had the courage to stand up to all the political scare tactics, distortions and outright lies.  Let’s not forget to say “thank you” to our representatives in Congress.  This was not an easy vote for many of them, and for many this was a courageous vote of conscience.

Wow.  From time to time — when I get deeply cynical, — this amazing country we live in can surprise me.  I’m kinda feeling like I did on the night that our citizens voted to elect Barack Hussein Obama as the 44^th President of the United States of America.  It feels really good, and can be so surprisingly delightful, when our country does the right thing in the face of angry opposition.  I’m so proud of our country tonight. 

We are a center left nation!