Healthcare: From the Front

A significant new player enters the healthcare reform fight: the Consumers Union, publisher of Consumers Report, known among other things for being above influence by commercial interests. In an ad: " We are in the business of providing information and advice that helps consumers. We don't make campaign contributions. We don't endorse candidates. And we don't care who gets the credit for fixing the problems with health care -- we just need them fixed. Doing nothing about health care is not a solution."

But being beyond influence is hard to find in the health care fight--with eight insurance lobbyists for every member of Congress and millions in campaign contributions, the Guardian says.

The new hero for health care reform is Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida, who said that the Republican healthcare plan is: don't get sick, and if you do, die quickly. When Republicans, unused to hearing such indelicate talk, called for an apology, Grayson apologized instead to the people who have died because they were uninsured or shafted by insurance company greed.

Columnist E.J. Dionne makes the case for the public option. After the Finance Committee voting down the public option in their bill, support for the option appears to be growing. The House seems solid, and with new polls showing overwhelming support--up to 2/3 of the public--support may be growing in the Senate as well. Still a long way to go.