Rockland City Council Keeps Healthcare Reform “Off The Table”
Monday night, according to Mayor McNeil, the Rockland City Council decided that, “the Rockland City Council will not be considering the resolution [to endorse “Improved Medicare for All] that you [Matt Clark] presented.”
It’s a decision made in spite of the fact that a financial study was also presented that showed that the City of Rockland could save over $1,000,000 per year in healthcare insurance expenditures for their employees. These savings would result from the enactment of the bill in the U.S. Congress, HR 676, the “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act”. The million dollars does not include the million or so that the residents of Rockland would save, or the amount that SAD 5 would save on their insurance costs.
Families who currently have private insurance and pay $5,000/year per person would only pay $330/year for the ENTIRE FAMILY for every $10,000 of income. Everyone who currently gets healthcare insurance for free from their employer would continue to get free healthcare, and their employer would most likely save enough money to give them a raise.
Just imagine, if Canada almost doubled their expenditures on healthcare (like we do now), what their system would be like. As it is, everyone gets healthcare (unlike here), and they have fewer deaths and no personal bankruptcies due to medical bills.
Democracy starts in the villages, towns and small cities where citizens can truly express their opinion on matters that affect all levels of government. Only then can they become an active voice in policy that affects their daily lives. If we depended upon each individual having to go to Washington to express an opinion on an issue, we would really be abandoning our sovereignty to the large corporate special interests that have the financial power to exert excessive influence on our national representatives.
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Do we know where Chellie Pingree stands on this. She is a co-sponsor of the bill (I think) but she also says this:
ReplyDelete" I am hopeful that we have the political will in this Congress to work with him (Obama) to thoughtfully develop a plan that lowers the cost of health care for those who are already insured, improves the quality of care in this country, and provides guaranteed access to a choice of affordable coverage options for every American family." Which sounds like she is working with the administration on a compromise.
Has the battle line already shifted to just trying to keep a "public option" in the O/B Reform Plan?
I believe Chellie has very nicely given us her support by signing on to the bill, to give us a boost. It is now up to us to carry the ball home. If we don't get the nation behind this, then she will support the President, and I personally don't blame her. It is up to us now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. J