countdowntohealthcare.com

In 2009, we made important progress on the public option, but also suffered some frustrating setbacks.

After Republicans had left the public option for dead during the fall, we refused to buckle.  Thanks to our voice, the public option was included in the House health care bill.

What happened in the Senate was harder to swallow.  Some promising early signs to include either a version of the public option or a buy-in to the Medicare program for people 55-64 fell away thanks to a few voices who held the debate hostage.  In the end, the Senate passed a far weaker health care proposal than the House.

This process is far from over and we cannot give up without a fight. Before the President can sign health care reform into law, the House and Senate bills must be combined.

I am committed to fighting for the public option in the final bill. We heard from the public option naysayers before, but we refused to listen.  It’s time to redouble our efforts and work to ensure that the bill the President signs includes a real public option to lower health care costs.

That’s why it’s time to reset the clock here at CountdowntoHealthCare.com to the State of the Union address.  By the time the President addresses the nation, I hope and believe we will be able to celebrate the passage of a public option and ensure a brighter health care future for our nation.

Anthony