It's Not Over Until You've Tried These Six Things, Mr. President

It seems like a grim moment in the struggle to reform health insurance. The lights are growing dim. As health insurance industry stock prices rise, the chance to win this debate for universal coverage and a public option is on life support.

But it isn't dead yet. And it won't die if you do these simple things, Mr. President:

1) Find six middle-class people who have been dropped by their health insurance company. Put them on stage behind you at your town hall meetings. Finding them should take you roughly half an hour -- there are tens of millions of victims of the for-profit health insurance industry who fit this description. These people are merely a mirror of the country: hold up that mirror and keep it held up.

2) Find someone who is going to die because of the decisions made "by nameless bureaucrats" in the offices of AEtna or Cigna or any other for-profit health insurance corporation. Place your arm around them. Stand with them. Show the yahoos and the shouters the true face of what this industry is doing. Finding someone like this was easy for Wendell Potter, former VP of Communications for health insurance giant Cigna. In 2007, leukemia sufferer Nataline Sarkysian's liver transplant operation was declined by Potter's company, and that's what made Potter decide to resign his job and leave behind all its trappings. Nataline's death in the face of Cigna's refusal -- and too-late action -- allowed Potter to leave behind corporate jets and lunches on gold-plated flatware at 35,000 feet and every other perk of his position. It was a powerful motivator to do right. Show it, Mr. President. It is long past time to put names and faces to the detestable and wrong practices of the for-profit insurance industry -- and to catch up to the rest of the developed world by leaving them behind.

3) Find a "health fair" event where huge crowds of Americans are treated in tents, in open-air like animals. Bring the cameras. Show what non-insurance and underinsurance are doing to a once-proud country by dragging basic medical care down to third-world levels where patients drive hundreds of miles rather than risk a call to a doctor and an enormous surprise bill. Walk among them and find who is in these lines and why -- and focus like a laser on the fact that the insured and employed are in these lines.

4) Notice that the insurance industry-funded opposition to reform is well-managed enough to not send shouters and swastika sign-wavers to the town halls you are scheduled to appear at. They seem to appear everywhere else, though, creating a steady stream of video of mouthpieces -- some unwitting -- for the health insurance industry. Your strategy? Show up unannounced at one of these. Let the fans of slimy hate radio shout and wiggle their sad signs in your face on national TV. Show the rest of the country, finally, what kind of pitiful people these are that would equate the holocaust with health insurance reform.

5) Go on the offensive by getting the language right. Medicare is a socialist program, just like the fire department. Health insurance costs and industry practices threaten to burn down the national economy -- who wants a free-market fire department when the house is burning?

The battle is over health insurance reform, not health care reform. Health care is doctors and patients. Health insurance is bills. And about those -- refuse to let the insurance industry off the hook for the skyrocketing deductibles and premiums. The very premise of a $10,000 deductible plan that costs hundreds a month should be hammered on time and time again with the message that: private insurance doesn't insure.

6) Stand with -- and put a spotlight upon -- persons of faith who will no longer let the Christian right define faith-based public activism. Tens of millions of Christians in this reportedly "Christian nation" know very well the parables of a healer named Jesus Christ are uniquely incompatible with the practices of the for-profit health insurance industry. Stand with these large coalitions including PICO National Network, Sojourners, Faith In Public Life and others -- and elevate their profile and message at this critical time.

Treat this fight with the effort it deserves, Mr. President. If not now, when?

Follow Rob Warmowski on Twitter: www.twitter.com/warmowski

Comments

[Oldbull 56]

A very well laid out and reasoned statement, as are many here. For all the political strategists and aides surrounding the President, you would think that someone would have come up with these ideas already. One can only hope that this strategy can be brought to the attention of the President in some form. Thanks for the excellent piece!

[expired]

So Rob, did you send a copy of your post to the president?

[Rob Warmowski]

Sure, but did it get anywhere? Who can tell? I don't have access to his team beyond what everybody else does. I do know that some have sent this piece to the White House's Organizing For Health Care Forum.

Also: thanks to everybody for the attaboys. I like how #4 worked like a charm for Barney Frank yesterday.

[savannahdem]

An outstanding post. However, as good as #4 worked for Cong Frank yesterday, with all his security and advance teams, I jus don' t see how it would work for the president.

As for other points - heck yeah - my son's personal policy premium (he's 24) shot up from $70 per month 2 yrs ago to a whopping $160 per month this year!! And he's had no procedures during that time!! Fortunately for him, he's now a full-time student working on a 2nd bachelor's at the university that I teach at, so now he's back on my insurance. But it's these kind of examples (and there are a TON of them out there) that President Obama could use to make his argument for health insurance reform. Heck, I've got more up my sleeve from my own family!!! Should I send THEM to OFA? Or just e-mail them to whitehouse.gov and pray somehow some minor functionary there reads them and forwards them to someone who matters?

[John Graham]

Find six people who have been "dropped by their insurance company" and ask them why they haven't gone to their state Insurance Commissioner and demanded an investigation and restitution, because it's illegal. Indeed, it's been illegal federally since 1997 (45 C.F.R. section 148.122). President Obama and his faction not only have no idea what's in the legislation that the trade-union lobbyists have written for them. They don't even know the laws that already exist.

[tribalogical]

The thing is, early on in the debate 70% of Americans polled expressed support for a single-payer system. As the debate unfolds, what we're getting is some wildly convoluted and complex picture of "reform" that doesn't seem to really change the game much.

Something vague, referred to as a "public option" is tossed around, which has moats and walls and minefields being built around it to prevent it "competing" with the existing pirates in health care.

We begin to feel uneasy, and less supportive. The new polls are instead about "health care reform and the public option" (meaningless and undefined), and support has dwindled to less that 50%...

I think it's true. Most of us now DO NOT support the current path of so-called "reform". And, so it dies?

Because, "anything is better than nothing" doesn't hold true in this case.

This is too important. We need to rewind, restart. Call-write-speak directly your reps.. Single Payer!!! That's true reform, and reform that we desperately need...

[ElementalPraxis]

Was universal health care trotted out just to fail? Anyone else feel this way? Sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees, and when I look at the way that a democrat-controlled house, senate, and presidency has absolutely botched something they've been harping on for 15 years...something smells fishy.

When the bankers demanded to rifle through the pockets of taxpayers and establish a fourth branch of government ( the Treasury ) using the TARP bill, they didn't care if the public opposed it 98 to 2. The financial elites laughed at the public opposition to their robbery, and they completed the theft. They took the power they wanted. Can anyone explain how a party that owns the White House and both houses of Congress couldn't railroad socialized medicine through in the same way? What stopped them?

I've seen twenty articles like this one on Huff Po with the same theme: that Obama had 'good motives but bad strategy'. Maybe the Left needs to accept that Obama has bad motives, and is delivering the health care policy that those who funded his campaign have ordered him to deliver.

[Michaela1976]

Manchurian candidate ?

[Michaela1976]

He is very inexperienced .. We had hope and this is what we got.

[TinfoilLatte]

I think this is a most excellent piece. Thanks Mr. Warmowski.

[KingofDetroit]

A single payer or nationalized health plan such as "Medicare for all" would dramatically change the dynamic between employer and employee in this country and not to the advantage coorporations who have developed a business model out of taking advantage of their employees. Imagine how much more leverage you would have on your job, no matter what kind of job it is, If you knew that if you were fired or left that you would still be covered by medical insurance? More corporations than just the ones in the healthcare industry don't want to see this happen.

[Zanti]

Excellent point. Preventing employee empowerment is one of the top goals of business.

[Michaela1976]

Most people don't know how much their employers pay for health insurance .

If the employer did not pay for insurance people would want raises ! Imagine that !

[sartor]

BRILLIANT!! Everyone should read this!!
And watch this too!:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/18/maddow-public-option-dyin_n_261811.html

[Deborah]

WONDERFUL Post!

What has happened to Obama and his PR team? I am dumbfounded by the collapse of a policy when we have a majority in both houses!! The party should put pressure on those who do not go along with this health care for everyone.

[tqmek]

Top strategist are GOP operatives disguised as Democrats. that what happened before and that what hapened now.

[Michaela1976]

Part of the problem is so many Blue Dogs in the Senate .

The other part of the problem is corporate leaning team around him.

Other than THAT ............

[MalteseTiger]

Obama knows what he wants.. He knows what we want..
Its those idiots in congress getting cash, kickbacks and other things that want things the same.

Don't blame the WH.. blame the red snake.. err I mean blue dog dems and the party of NO.
If your reps don't support public option.. picket their damn houses.. embarrass the crap out of them till they listen to the people that elected them. Public shame is the only way to force these turds to listen to use instead of the Corporate CEO's lining their re-election war chests.

[Donkihoti]

Thanks for the post, well said! It's time to take the gloves off, and fight back against the sheeple who've been terrified by the rants of the hatemongers...Mr. Obama needs to know we are behind him, and against this kind of terrorism...terror means fear right? Terrorism means using people's fears to control their actions or affect decisions they make, right? Call 'em as you see 'em!!

[Zanti]

Terrific piece--absolutely on target. Thank you!

But not only do we have to get Obama to read it, we have to get him to see the truth of it.

[leevntheus]

Good start. Marketing this seems to be so tough for Obama when the obvious things are right there. The public needs to SEE things, not hear him and his wonky explanations at town halls of supporters.

The Christian thing should be strong because health care for all MEANS LESS ABORTIONS.

LESS ABORTIONS

LESS ABORTIONS

[Pantleg]

I believe that we should loby congress to put single payer on the ballot. I have never seen Federal
legislation on the ballot but I am sure it is an option. Does it require 2/3's vote ? I think it is possible to work for this as well as continue what they are presently doing.

[Michaela1976]

I have asked this question and propostions are not allowed on Federal ballots just on state ballots

[icesailor]

Great idea. Especially about the tent health fairs.

Show the ones like they have shown on PBS where doctors volunteer their time to do this in the south, where all those working poor live.

According to the Great Rush Limbaugh, these people don't exist in America and if they do, they just don't want to work.

Thom Hartmann had a plan today. Medicare for all who want it. Those under 65 will pay more for it as those of us over 65 do now. All the regs are in place. No death Panels, no abortion, no immigrants.

Icesailor.

[Gewyne]

Pres Obama should have been walking around here talking to people - as they say a picture speaks a 1000 words, this footage is an entire library.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8199401.stm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32432094

http://www.delawareliberal.net/2009/08/16/how-american-health-care-looks-from-europe/