Posted by Kristie Arslan - From day one the Obama Administration has been touting that they were going to foster a different kind of government. Transparency, participation and communication were going to be front and center. As I work on health care reform however, it is evident that Congress unfortunately didn’t get the memo on this new citizen-friendly, collaborative process.
Recently, I spoke about the micro-business perspective on mandates at a briefing sponsored by the
Coalition for Affordable Health Coverage. In my concluding remarks, I highlighted that
our recent survey of micro-businesses showed that while they want government involvement in regulating the insurance market, they did not want the federal government to provide coverage. In other words, thumbs down for the public option. Needless to say, shoes almost started flying from some of the audience members and I received some heated comments during the question and answer period. Sadly, this was not the first time I have experienced this reaction when the topic of the public option is raised amongst its staunch supporters.
Now, I certainly don’t want to be a partisan whiner. I’ve had similar experiences with staff from the other side of the aisle when discussing additional health reform recommendations such as mandates and market reforms.
What happened to disagreeing respectfully? Shouldn’t all voices be heard, not just the ones that agree with you? What is so disheartening is that the self-employed and micro-businesses want reform. No, we NEED health care reform. In fact, we support almost every other reform recommendation out there - such as creation of an exchange or connector, cooperatives, market reforms like guaranteed issue and even mandates with the right mix of subsidies and cost containment mechanisms. Yet, it seems that all bets are off because we prefer to get our health insurance from a private insurer versus the federal government.
Maybe we can't do it all when it comes to health reform, but there are options on the table that we all agree on that can really help our small business owners. A difference of opinion on one issue should not preclude collaborating and compromising on a reform approach. Yet the ire of both political parties is brewing and bubbling up regarding health reform, threatening to undermine any chance of providing micro-business owners and all Americans with access to meaningful, affordable coverage.
My outlook can be summed up in one word: disappointment. We were hoping for change, we were promised change yet it seems like all we are getting is more of the same from Congress.