Category: Economy

Over 2,200 Veterans Died in 2008 Due to Lack of Health Insurance

Posted on by TL

From ENEWSPF:

A research team at Harvard Medical School estimates 2,266 U.S. military veterans under the age of 65 died last year because they lacked health insurance and thus had reduced access to care. That figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001.

The researchers, who released their analysis today [Tuesday], pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture.

The Harvard group analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2009 Current Population Survey, which surveyed Americans about their insurance coverage and veteran status, and found that 1,461,615 veterans between the ages of 18 and 64 were uninsured in 2008. Veterans were only classified as uninsured if they neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals or clinics.

Here’s the Catch-22 faced by uninsured veterans:

“Like other uninsured Americans, most uninsured vets are working people – too poor to afford private coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or means-tested VA care,” said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor at Harvard Medical School who testified before Congress about uninsured veterans in 2007 and carried out the analysis released today [Tuesday]. “As a result, veterans go without the care they need every day in the U.S., and thousands die each year. It’s a disgrace.”

Tell Congress to support our troops and pass comprehensive health insurance reform.

Read more here.

HRC Launches National Action Alert on Workplace Discrimination

Posted on by TL

The Human Rights Campaign is turning up the heat on Congress to pass the federal Employement Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) launching a new Web site: www.PassENDANow.org.

With Congressional Action looming, HRC’s No Excuses Campaign Engaged

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, announced today that as Congressional action looms on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), it is extending the grassroots "No Excuses" campaign to increase constituent contact with Congress and awareness of the comprehensive website: www.PassENDANow.org.

ENDA, which has been introduced in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC also launched a national action alert this week to grassroots members and supporters urging them to contact Congress and express their support for a fully-inclusive ENDA.

“We need to step up the important work of telling Congress our personal stories and explaining the additional hardship we face in protecting our families, our loved ones and our jobs,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Congress is moving forward to protect Americans from arbitrary discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Like our neighbors and coworkers, LGBT people simply want a fair chance to succeed and support our families.”

HRC plans to release details next week on its participation of a national call-in day organized by a coalition of groups urging members and supporters to call the Congressional switchboard in support of ENDA. Meanwhile, HRC members and supporters have been overwhelmingly responsive this week to the organization’s national call to action on ENDA by sending off more than 62,000 emails or letters to members of Congress and newspapers urging for swift passage.

Earlier this summer, HRC launched a national, grassroots campaign called “No Excuses” to demand action from Congress on key issues of equality, including a fully inclusive ENDA. Designed to take advantage of the congressional summer recess, when members are in their local offices and meeting with constituents, “No Excuses” helped mobilize HRC’s members and their allies to meet directly with lawmakers and push for federal legislative change.

On November 5, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held the Senate’s first-ever hearing on a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The lead sponsors of the measure include Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate on August 5 of this year; a House version was introduced on June 24 and the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the measure on September 23.

An estimated 87% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their equal employment policies, and more than one-third also include gender identity. More than 80 companies have joined the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. To view a list of the companies, visit:www.hrc.org/bcwf.

ENDA is supported by a broad range of civil rights, religious, civic and professional organizations, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, NAACP, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, AFSCME, National Education Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, Anti-Defamation League, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, American Civil Liberties Union, and many others.

Currently, federal law provides legal protection against employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age and disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity. In 29 states across America, it is still legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and in 38 states, it is still legal to fire someone for being transgender.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Politico Says Dems Have 218 Votes for Affordable Health Care for America Act

Posted on by TL

From our friends at Politico:

Hours before an expected vote on a sweeping health care bill, House Democrats believe they’ve secured the 218 votes they need to approve the bill, several party insiders said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took to the House floor about 6:30 p.m. to say, “Today we will pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act.. . .We will make history. We will also make progress for America’s working families."

In response to a question about whether the bill would pass when she brought it up, Pelosi told reporters Saturday night, "That is our expectation."

Thirty-two Democrats have publicly declared their opposition to the bill, giving party leaders the narrowest possible margin to push the bill across the finish line. But numerous sources said Democrats believe they do have the votes after a day of intense lobbying of wavering Democrats.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act reportedly includes a Public Option.

A vote is expected tonight.

Click here to Tweet your Representative now!

ACLU: Rep. Jackson Voted Against the Patriot Act in 2001, So Thank Him

Posted on by TL

Some clarification today from the ACLU:

Dear ACLU Supporter,

Acts of courage on civil liberties should be rewarded. In 2001, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. courageously voted against the Patriot Act—a significant political risk at a time when few others dared to stand up for constitutional rights.

In an email yesterday, through a clerical error, we misstated that fact. We sincerely apologize to both him and you for this mistake.

We were able to count on Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s leadership in 2001, and we’re counting on it now. Thank you for all you do in defense of civil liberties.

Sincerely, 

Lisa Sock

Lisa Sock
ACLU Online Team

And I couldn’t agree more. Please thank Congressman Jackson, and re-elect him.

Jackson’s GOP challenger Isaac Hayes is completely off the wall. In his numerous press releases, he rails against any change to the health insurance system.

This came from Hayes’ office on October 29:

Democrats in Washington — including the scandal-plagued Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — seem intent upon pushing a socialist-style health care plan on an unwilling American public. But the so-called "public option," or government-run health care, has failed everywhere it has been tried in the U.S. already. The laboratory of the states has proven that this experiment is just for mad social scientists, not serious public policy advocates, the public record demonstrates.

"The Public Option proves the status quo in Washington, D.C. is not serious about improving our health care system, but rather fulfilling an ideological dream of a single-payer system," says the GOP’s Isaac C. Hayes, the nominee for Congress in IL-2. "Variations of the Public Option have failed in every state in which it was tried: Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Maine. When we here the discussion of free-market solutions we will know they are serious about reform."

Hayes also notes that news reports indicate that even the Canadians are backing away from their socialized model of health care, and are embracing "fee for service" healthcare. 

That’s all very nice, except it’s not true. Citing no evidence whatsoever, Hayes is intent to campaign on sound bytes. None of his press releases are much longer than a couple of short paragraphs.

This from November 2:

You know the "public option," otherwise known as socialized medicine, is in trouble in the Congress when even the liberal sister of radical left-wing Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is distancing herself from the legislation.

"Today, WVON’s talk show host, Santita Jackson, admitted on her show that she too was ‘wary’ of the 2,000 page health care bill," says Rev. Isaac C. Hayes, the GOP nominee for Congress in IL-2, where he faces Jackson’s corrupt brother next fall. "Considering that Ms. Jackson is the sister of Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., we have a staunch supporter of the Representative questioning a bill he is avidly promoting. Mr. Jackson should listen to his big sister because it is apparent he is not listening to other hardworking Americans."

I really don’t understand why we should be worried about a 2,000 page bill. Can’t the Republicans read? I know the Republicans want to do away with the Department of Education, but are they against literacy as well?

Look, Rev. Hayes, if you want to be an adult in congress, then you’re going to have to read a lot. Step up or quit the race.

My vote is with Jesse.

We Need More Government Stimulus, Says Krugman. Does Congress Have the Courage?

Posted on by TL

I am a student of Paul Krugman. I believe his The Conscience of a Liberal

should be required reading in every high school and college in the United States. In my humble opinion.

We need the New Deal back, and we need it bad.

President Obama realizes that we are living in a sound-bite world, and Congress does not have the courage to do what needs to be done.

Or they might not get re-elected.

But Congress needs to step up.

Krugman, courtesy the New York Times:

The good news is that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a k a the Obama stimulus plan, is working just about the way textbook macroeconomics said it would. But that’s also the bad news — because the same textbook analysis says that the stimulus was far too small given the scale of our economic problems. Unless something changes drastically, we’re looking at many years of high unemployment.

And the really bad news is that “centrists” in Congress aren’t able or willing to draw the obvious conclusion, which is that we need a lot more federal spending on job creation.

About that good news: not that long ago the U.S. economy was in free fall. Without the recovery act, the free fall would probably have continued, as unemployed workers slashed their spending, cash-strapped state and local governments engaged in mass layoffs, and more.

The stimulus didn’t completely eliminate these effects, but it was enough to break the vicious circle of economic decline. Aid to the unemployed and help for state and local governments were probably the most important factors. If you want to see the recovery act in action, visit a classroom: your local school probably would have had to fire a lot of teachers if the stimulus hadn’t been enacted.

And the free fall has ended. Last week’s G.D.P. report showed the economy growing again, at a better-than-expected annual rate of 3.5 percent. As Mark Zandi of Moody’s Economy.com put it in recent testimony, “The stimulus is doing what it was supposed to do: short-circuit the recession and spur recovery.”

But it’s not doing enough.

We need legislators with the courage to do what must be done. We need our "super-wealthy" to realize that they MUST be part of the solution, that the only way America can survive as a nation is if they agree that it is GOOD if they are taxed more.

We need Republicans on board with this, and that means seeking the impossible. Republicans must admit that President Ronald Reagan was wrong: Government is not the problem. Government is the solution.

If Congress doesn’t get it, we will most certainly return to a Gilded Age. Even more than we are right now. Right now, we need more stimulus money, "But can we afford to do more? We can’t afford not to," Krugman says.

Again, from Paul Krugman:

Deficit hawks like to complain that today’s young people will end up having to pay higher taxes to service the debt we’re running up right now. But anyone who really cared about the prospects of young Americans would be pushing for much more job creation, since the burden of high unemployment falls disproportionately on young workers — and those who enter the work force in years of high unemployment suffer permanent career damage, never catching up with those who graduated in better times.

Even the claim that we’ll have to pay for stimulus spending now with higher taxes later is mostly wrong. Spending more on recovery will lead to a stronger economy, both now and in the future — and a stronger economy means more government revenue. Stimulus spending probably doesn’t pay for itself, but its true cost, even in a narrow fiscal sense, is only a fraction of the headline number.

O.K., I know I’m being impractical: major economic programs can’t pass Congress without the support of relatively conservative Democrats, and these Democrats have been telling reporters that they have lost their appetite for stimulus.

But I hope their stomachs start rumbling soon. We now know that stimulus works, but we aren’t doing nearly enough of it. For the sake of today’s unemployed, and for the sake of the nation’s future, we need to do much more.

We need to do more now. Congress needs to find the courage to do it, and Republicans and Blue Dog Dems need to get it. Our nation’s economy will continue to regress and fall until they all get it.

Weekly Address: President Obama Says Recovery Act Creating Jobs and Strengthening Economy

Posted on by TL

While there is nothing to celebrate until job numbers turn around, the President cites the recent dramatic turnaround in gross domestic product as a sign of better things to come. He also applauds the fact that the Recovery Act has now created or saved more than a million jobs.

The President’s weekly address:

Each week, I’ve spoken with you about the challenges we face as a nation and the path we must take to meet them. And the truth is, over the past ten months, I’ve often had to report distressing news during what has been a difficult time for our country. But today, I am pleased to offer some better news that – while not cause for celebration – is certainly reason to believe that we are moving in the right direction.

On Thursday, we received a report on our Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This is an important measure of our economy as a whole, one that tells us how much we are producing and how much businesses and families are earning. We learned that the economy grew for the first time in more than a year and faster than at any point in the previous two years. So while we have a long way to go before we return to prosperity, and there will undoubtedly be ups and downs along the road, it’s also true that we’ve come a long way. It is easy to forget that it was only several months ago that the economy was shrinking rapidly and many economists feared another Great Depression.

Now, economic growth is no substitute for job growth. And we will likely see further job losses in the coming days, a fact that is both troubling for our economy and heartbreaking for the men and women who suddenly find themselves out of work. But we will not create the jobs we need unless the economy is growing; that’s why this GDP report is a good sign. And we can see clearly now that the steps my administration is taking are making a difference, blunting the worst of this recession and helping to bring about its conclusion.

We’ve acted aggressively to jumpstart credit for families and businesses, including small businesses, which have seen an increase in lending of 73 percent. We’ve taken steps to stem the tide of foreclosures, modifying mortgages to help hundreds of thousands of responsible homeowners keep their homes and help millions more sustain the value in their homes. And the Recovery Act is spurring demand through a tax cut for 95 percent of working families, and through assistance for seniors and those who have lost jobs – which not only helps folks hardest hit by the downturn, but also encourages the consumer spending that will help turn the economy around.

Finally, the Recovery Act is saving and creating jobs all across the country. Just this week, we reached an important milestone. Based on reports coming in from across America – as shovels break ground, as needed public servants are rehired, and as factories whir to life – it is clear that the Recovery Act has now created and saved more than one million jobs. That’s more than a million people who might otherwise be out of work today – folks who can wake up each day knowing that they’ll be able to provide for themselves and their families.

We’ve saved jobs by closing state budget shortfalls to prevent the layoffs of hundreds of thousands of police officers, firefighters, and teachers who are today on the beat, on call, and in the classroom because of the Recovery Act. And we’ve also created hundreds of thousands of jobs through the largest investment in our roads since the building of the interstate highways, and through the largest investments in education, medical research, and clean energy in history.

These investments aren’t just helping us recover in the short term, they’re helping to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity in the long term – and they’re giving hardworking, middle-class Americans the chance to succeed and raise a family. Because of the investments we’ve made and the steps we’ve taken, it’s easier for middle-class families to send their kids to college and get the training and skills they need to compete in a global economy. We’re making it easier for these families to save for retirement. And in areas like clean energy, we’re creating the jobs of the future – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.

In fact, just this week, I traveled to Arcadia, Florida to announce the largest set of clean energy projects through the Recovery Act so far: one hundred grants for businesses, utilities, manufacturers, cities and other partners across the country to put thousands of people to work modernizing our electric grid – the system that provides power to our homes and businesses – so that it wastes less energy, helps integrate renewables like wind and solar, and saves consumers money. And that’s just one example.

So, we have made progress. At the same time, I want to emphasize that there’s still plenty of progress to be made. For we know that positive news for the economy as a whole means little if you’ve lost your job and can’t find another, if you can’t afford health care or the mortgage, if you do not see in your own life the improvement we are seeing in these economic statistics. And positive news today does not mean there won’t be difficult days ahead. As I’ve said many times, it took years to dig our way into the crisis we’ve faced. It will take more than a few months to dig our way out. But make no mistake: that’s exactly what we will do.

For the economy we seek is one where folks who need a job can find one and incomes are rising again. The economy we seek is one where small businesses can flourish and entrepreneurs can get the capital they need to plant new seeds of growth. The economy we seek is one that’s no longer based on maxed out credits cards, wild speculation, and the old cycles of boom or bust – but rather one that’s built on a solid foundation, supporting growth that is strong, sustained, and broadly shared by middle class families across America. That is what we are working toward every single day. And we will not stop until we get there.

Thank you. And Happy Halloween.

Source: whitehouse.gov

Pelosi Outlines 14 Health Care Provisions to Take Place Immediately

Posted on by TL

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Thursday outlined fourteen health care reform provisions that would take place immediately, upon passage of the health insurance reform legislation currently making its way through Congress:

  1. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE — Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1, 2010.
  2. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POOL) — Creates a temporary insurance program until the Exchange is available for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.
  3. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage.
  4. ENDS RESCISSIONS—Prohibits insurers from nullifying or rescinding a patient’s policy when they file a claim for benefits, except in the case of fraud.
  5. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 27TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENTS’ INSURANCE— Requires health plans to allow young people through age 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance policy, at the parents’ choice.
  6. ELIMINATES COST-SHARING FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICES IN MEDICARE—Eliminates co-payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program.
  7. IMPROVES HELP FOR LOW-INCOME MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES—Improves the low-income protection programs in Medicare to assure more individuals are able to access this vital help.
  8. PROVIDES NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE— Prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from charging enrollees higher cost-sharing for services in their private plan than what is charged in traditional Medicare.
  9. IMMEDIATE SUNSHINE ON PRICE GOUGING—Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.
  10. CONTINUITY FOR DISPLACED WORKERS—Allows Americans to keep their COBRA coverage until the Exchange is in place and they can access affordable coverage.
  11. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM—Creates a long-term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.
  12. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES—Creates a $10 billon fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.
  13. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS—Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.
  14. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS — Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.

Source: Committee on Education and Labor

Homewood on Slippery Slope Raiding Pension Funds; But What Is The Alternative?

Posted on by TL

The Southtown Star reports that Homewood, Illinois, is considering a measure to dip into police and fire pension funds to balance the budget. The measure calls for reallocation of 25 percent of property tax revenue from its pension funds to pay for day-to-day operations in its 2010-2011 budget.

That’s operations, not capital projects. Homewood needs to dip into pension funds just to maintain the status quo.

From the Southtown Star:

The move would offset an expected drop in sales and income tax revenue during the fiscal year from the economic recession, the village’s financial director, Dennis Bubenik, told trustees during the village board meeting Tuesday night.

"We have 30 years to recoup the loss in the pension funds. We need the money to run day-to-day operations now," Bubenik said.

He said Homewood’s police pension fund is currently funded at 82 percent, and the firefighters pension fund is at 78 percent.

First, let’s consider the percentage figures. If the police pension was funded at 100%, that would mean the pension fund would support each and every police officer if they all went on pension now. Right now, immediately. So funding at 82% is pretty good. 78% for fire isn’t bad either.

If this measure passes, funding levels will be less than those figures, of course.

The big problem, as I see it, is the financial director’s claim that Homewood has "30 years to recoup the loss in pension funds."

Here’s the rub: if the economy was a static, growing entity, then I would have no problem with that statement. But what about future recessions in the next 30 years? And why the incredible hole in the budget in the first place? No doubt, last year, Homewood was counting on revenues that simply did not materialize due to the Great Bush Recession, whether they were from sales tax, real estate transfer taxes, or whatever. Many towns in the south suburbs are facing similar conundrums.

But dipping into pension funds is dangerous. What happens in 12 years, theoretically, if there is another Great Recession? At that point, Homewood is 18 years shy of the 30-year mark necessary to recover the pension funds. Does that future Village Board dip into pension funds again to save the day? Does the 30-year recovery then become a 45 year recovery? And what if Homewood faces a tragic fire event in the interim? What if, tragically, 7 or 8 firefighters lose their lives? Their spouses would receive full benefits.

I’m imagining the impossible because the impossible can happen. Challenges like these require critical thought now so future boards are not faced with a future slippery-slope quandaries.

More conservative budgeting would help Homewood in the long run. As would a healthy reserve fund.

The bottom line is this: municipalities should not need to dip into pension funds to pay for operations. No matter what.

Daley Blames Houlihan for Tax Hikes; Look in Mirror, Richie

Posted on by TL

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wasted no time pointing hizzoner’s finger at Cook County Tax Assessor Jim Houlihan over this year’s sharp spike in property taxes. But his wag of the finger ignores a $65 million City Hall property tax increase passed two years ago.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Mayor Richard Daley on Tuesday tried to offer up a scapegoat for the puzzle of why property tax bills are soaring as home values are plummeting: Cook County Assessor James Houlihan.

As he promoted a modest city tax relief program, Daley also lashed out at the assessor, accusing him of not doing his part to keep a lid on tax bills expected to arrive in mailboxes the next few days.

"The thing I can’t understand (is) this whole assessment deal," the mayor said. "Now, no one’s value is going up in the city. … I’m asking him how he does it."

Despite the attack, Daley didn’t make clear how the assessor could have acted legally to alter the trajectory of the latest round of bills. The mayor also did not mention that new bills to Chicago residents reflect a $65 million City Hall property tax increase passed two years ago but that’s only showing up now. Houlihan spokesman Eric Herman blamed big hikes largely on the General Assembly’s decision to phase out a program designed to soften the effect on taxes of soaring property values earlier this decade. "This idea somehow that we’re going around jacking up everybody’s assessments is just fiction," Herman said.

The finger-pointing took place after Houlihan released new data showing that homeowners across much of the city and county can expect to be hard hit by the latest installment of tax bills.

Mayor Daley has been around long enough to know exactly "how [Houlihan] does it." These assessments the tax bills are based on are already two years old, according to the Tribune, "The latest round of bills actually reflects 2008 taxes. For city neighborhoods, those bills were calculated using assessment values from 2006."

Then the bottom dropped out:

The bubble burst last year, too late to be factored into the tax bills that West Garfield Park homeowners have to pay this year. "We are legally prohibited from using current market conditions to go back and change assessments for a previous year," [Houlihan spokesman Eric] Herman said.

Houlihan said the legislature must shoulder responsibility. From the Sun-Times:

"This is a direct result of Speaker Madigan’s phaseout of the 7 percent homeowner exemption," Houlihan said. "This is the one thing that worked. For the first three years, when it was really going, it protected homeowners. I met with the mayor and urged him to go to Springfield and try to reverse that. The budget indicates how serious the problem is: The mayor has $35 million to deal with that."

Daley supported the "7 percent" cap on property tax increases, but a $65 million property tax increase from Chicago’s City Hall does make a difference, and the mayor owes it to the citizens of Chicago to admit that.

Read more here at the Trib, and read more here read more here from the Sun-Times.

Take Dick Durbin’s Poll to Support the Public Option

Posted on by TL

Senator Dick Durbin wants a public option for health care in the United States. Support the public option by taking this poll:

From Senator Durbin:

The tide is shifting our way.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of activists like you we’ve seen a tremendous shift in the health care reform debate. On Monday, Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the merged Senate health care bill — a bill that includes a public option.

The question is no longer if we will have some sort of public option in the final health care reform bill, but instead what form it will take.

There are several interpretations of what a public option should look like, and I’d like to share the preferences of the American people with my colleagues in the Senate.But I must do so before the final health care reform bill comes to a vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Please rank your preferences for what form the public option should take in the final bill at:

http://www.DickDurbin.com/PublicOptionPoll

I believe that a robust public option must give more Americans more choice on day one. But some of my colleagues would be content with a public plan that only kicked in if insurance companies continued to raise premiums at an unreasonable rate — the so-called "trigger." Others would prefer a more limited public option, requiring state governments to "opt-in" to participate in the program.

I am "whip counting" the votes in favor of all of these in the Senate, and we’re very, very close to reaching the 60 votes we need to pass a robust form of the public option — one that provides more coverage to more people by requiring states to "opt out" if they don’t want to participate. That’s exactly how Medicare and Medicaid work, and all 50 states participate in those popular programs.

Ultimately my colleagues need to know what their constituents think a robust "public option" really means — and what it doesn’t.

Read up on the various interpretations of a public option now under consideration, and tell me — and my colleagues — where you stand.

http://www.DickDurbin.com/PublicOptionPoll

Virtually every poll now shows most people support a robust public option to expand health insurance choice and offer coverage to more Americans. And the American people will not settle for a "public option" in name only.

Neither will I.

Let’s tell Congress what precisely we want and expect to see in the final health care reform bill that President Obama signs into law.

Thank you for taking my poll.

Sincerely,
Dick Durbin
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator