The New Health Dialogue

Today, we went on a field trip -- a ten minute Metro ride out to Families USA's Health Action 2010 Conference by Capitol Hill. The 15^th annual grassroots meeting was well attended by pro-health reform advocates representing nearly all 50 states (and DC of course). We were curious about what the mood would be like given what's happened on the health reform front in the last week or so. So we were glad to see so much enthusiasm and optimism about achieving comprehensive health reform. Soon. As Families USA's Ron Pollack reassured the crowd -- we're all smiles in DC. We'll make this happen.

The conference has a broad range of workshops and panels and speakers, focusing on how to move forward. We can't attend all of them, but we'll attend what we can and will update you along the way. You can follow us on Twitter, #healthaction.

The conference kicked off this morning with a few big names.

First up, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Her message was clear and concise -- echoing the President's State of the Union, she asked that we not give up yet. If it was easy, she argued, it would have been passed decades ago. Roosevelt gave it a try, Truman too. But, as she explained, we've come too far to turn back now. We were on the one yard line. Yes, there was a penalty, but we're still in the game. We can see the goal line from here! She made sure to thank the reform advocates for all their hard work. And, thanks in part to their voices in the debate, we were able to make great progress in 2009, strengthening programs like SCHIP and COBRA, which provided health care coverage to families and children right when they needed it most.

Sen. Al Franken took the podium, adding levity to the current health reform dialogue. He expressed some disappointment in the way the health reform message has been delivered and distorted, arguing that defenders of the status quo have used fear tactics to drown out change. He cited a poll that found only 50 percent of Americans believe that they understand enough about the bills to form an opinion. People are confused, and drawing out the process only gives opponents more time to confuse people further. Franken reminded us that nearly 45,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance, and insisted that “no” is not a solution. Anyone can take down a barn, he explained, but it takes a carpenter to build one. He acknowledged that the Senate bill has some distasteful elements but encouraged a compromise with the House through reconciliation. He's tired of the House vs. Senate debate because, as he argued, right now the health care debate should be right vs. wrong, now vs. never. He left us with this: use this time not to lick wounds but to get out there and tell people what is actually in the bill and what we are on the cusp of achieving.

Next, Ron Pollack introduced us to Rep. Donna Edwards, who recalled her own past struggle as an uninsured, young single mom. Eighteen years ago, she was between jobs. When she finally landed a new gig, she had to wait three more months before she was officially covered. Unable to afford even a single doctor's visit, when she got sick, she only got sicker. Eventually, she collapsed in the grocery store. Though Rep. Edwards was rushed to the emergency room and taken care of, she left the hospital with thousands of dollars in medical debt. She remembers the foreclosure letters, the phone calls from bill collectors, and choosing between paying medical and electric bills. We are just inches away from getting this done, she insisted. When we do, no one will remember how it got done, just that it did. It doesn't need to be perfect in the beginning.

Then, we watched a poignant video on the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's health care legacy. His son, Ted Kennedy Jr., took the stage and thanked the crowd for all of their tireless work. He offered words of encouragement to those pursuing “the cause of his father's life.” The dream lives on. Perseverance was the credo of my father's life, he declared, my dad never gave up, and if he were here today, he would say don't give up on health care reform.

We would like to leave you with the inspiring words offered by Benjamin Todd Jealous: health care is a human issue, a justice issue, not just a political issue for campaign fodder. We got into this struggle knowing it would be a fight but we will only win if we motivate people around the idea that it isn't a matter of if, but a matter of when.

See you tomorrow!