Those who do not believe that all Americans should have access to affordable health care may want to consider rallying with Americans For Prosperity (AFP) in Waukesha this Thursday, June 28th, at 6:30pm. That’s when “patriots” plan to gather at the Country Springs Inn following the Supreme Court’s anticipated ruling on the Affordable Care Act.
AFP vehemently opposes the Affordable Care Act, and is inviting people to gather so they can “talk about the ruling and educate the public on what it means for the future of our nation,” according to an email from Luke Hilgemann, the Wisconsin State Director of AFP.
Personally, I don’t understand how anyone could be against a law which would provide tax credits for small businesses, strengthen Medicare, hold insurance companies accountable, give consumers more choices, and bring health care costs down for everyone. And I don’t think it’s patriotic to take a stand against health care for fellow Americans.
In fact, it’s downright unpatriotic to deny Americans affordability and access to a basic human right like health care, in my opinion. All of us have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, even those of us with pre-existing conditions.
If “patriots” want to rally against the rights of Americans this week, then turn around and celebrate those same rights next week on July 4, that’s their choice. But I won’t celebrate the irony; too much is at stake.
Lisa, you are spot on. I find it to be quite unpatriotic to leave millions of people without health insurance and bankrupt our country’s health care system. I am one of millions of people with pre-existing conditions that would continue to be denied health insurance if the health care bill is struck down.
Americans for Prosperity is a Koch Brothers-funded front group that seeks to undermine the very United States of America that my ancestors fought in our Armed Forces to preserve. That is absolutely disgusting in my view.
Lisa,
I fear I must diverge from your opinion just a bit on this one. Healthcare is a right, but only when we can name it “universal” healthcare, not “affordable” healthcare. “Affordable” is relative and is subject to the vagaries of the marketplace, the pressures of toxic competition, and the dictates of the employer.
I do agree that it is unpatriotic to take a stand against health care for fellow Americans. But supporting the Affordable Care Act is not one of those places to take a stand. It does have some good features but does not structurally resolve our health care needs. If healthcare remains privatized it will never be a right. It will be a privilege. Affordability is a privilege. Socialized universal access is a right.
Patriots are those who love and trust the government. The most appropriate response to the Decision Day Rally is to join it and speak loud and proud in support of government-run health care with banners that read:
I Love The Government
I Love Big Government
Big Government For All the People
The Government Does It Better
Up WIth Government-Run Health Care
Health Care is General Welfare
The patriotic response is to call for an end to the privatization of our rights. Health care belongs in the public sphere.
You call on “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” which refers to the Declaration of Independence. The Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act references the Constitution. It is with Constitutional principles that we should respond, though the Declaration of Independence has its place in the debate. If we are to “dissolve the political bands with another” as the Declaration proclaims let those be the yokes that tie the people to the toxicities of an encroaching private sector in whose hands is held the people’s noose. If we are to declare our independence in the realm of health care, let it be from the the industry of health care.
Our rights are not conferred upon us nor protected by the private sector. Our rights derive from our government. The true patriot will not support privatized health care. Tea Party pseudo-patriots stand in defense of the private sector, not the government. They stand opposed to the government. The true patriot will support the government and trust it to be the best provider of health care services. The government has already proven itself far superior in this endeavor than the private sector.
So, I say meet the pseudo-patriots at the AFP rally and stand on the side of the government. Declare your love for the government. Prepare to defend the government with all the facts at hand that prove – in the real world – that Medicare is successful and more efficient than the privatized system of profit-gluttons. Join with AFP in opposing the Affordable Care Act, but stand in support of Medicare For All and Government Protection of The General Welfare.
Hi PJ,
I had removed a few paragraphs from this post before I put it up. Originally, I had written that until we get rid of insurance companies once and for all, we will have no true health care reform, and that I believe in Medicare for all.
But I removed that part because I didn’t want to shift the focus away from the Affordable Care Act and the decision by the Supreme Court, which is what the AFP rally is about, and is the theme of this post.
Also, I made sure to use the term “affordable” because if I just used “access” the argument would be made that everyone has access through emergency rooms. While that’s true, the cost of the ER is so expensive that people who use it as their primary source of care could end up homeless just paying for it.
I may have over-thought the terminology on this one.
But I do think that the Affordable Care Act is a start, and I worry that if the SC strikes it down we’ll be left with no improvements to our system at all, which is why I support the provisions in the law.
Thanks for your comments. 🙂
We shall agree to differ. I do think the focus needs to shift, but that shift will be more difficult if the Affordable Care Act is upheld. We shall agree to disagree on the matter of whether or not the Affordable Care Act is a good place to start. I think the place we should start is our policy destination. In order to justify the position that the ACA is a good starting point some actionable policy steps need to be put forth to get from here to there. I haven’t seen anything like that issued from the Oval Office or the DNC.
To your ER point: The ACA doesn’t alter the use of the ER for primary care, when as you mention in a previous post, health care premiums are soaring – from $500 to $3000 in some cases. The ACA isn’t any more affordable than the broken system it underscores. Support the principles in the law’s provisions, but only if the law, in actuality, realizes those provisions. The law does nothing to protect those with undiagnosed pre-existing conditions nor does the law make complex diagnosis more affordable. For these unfortunate souls ER to treat symptoms is the only option. It’s not health care. We have no time for dallying with our health care system any more than we have time for dallying with real financial reform and real environmental protections.
So, we will agree to differ. 🙂
I also think we need to take every opportunity available to highlight the contrast between falsifying patriotism that dismantles government and true patriotism that reinforces trust in government.
PJ,
I think I’m torn into two (somewhat contradictory) parts on this issue. Part of me knows that we cannot have real, true reform unless we overhaul the system (Medicare for all) but the other part of me is having a hard time waiting for that to happen and wants to reduce the suffering as much as possible, as soon as possible (ACA). Having been to hell and back with our current health care system myself, I am keenly aware of how people are suffering…
Anyway, you’ve given me much to think about.
Thank you.
Me too. I think what clarified the matter for me is not all of us have the luxury of delay in matters of health.
When that preventable point of no return is breached, there’s little comfort in the hope that the ACA is a starting point.
The ACA prolongs suffering and hastens death because it isn’t a fix or an improvement if it is grounded upon the wrong set of priorities.
No one should have to go through hell and back. I’m sorry you’ve had to journey to the underworld. I’m glad you made it back! 🙂
Thank you, PJ. While it was stressful and awful at the time, I emerged stronger, smarter, and with a sicker, darker, and more twisted sense of humor than ever before. Exactly how I like it. 🙂
Hey, let’s not sweat the small stuff. The Supreme Court decision on the ACA is a huge victory, and it will also help get Obama elected. I needed a little good news!