It’s only taken thousands of protests throughout the country, incessant calls to congress, and hundreds of discussions on the crucial flaws of a public option plan. Now the Obama administration is shifting its rhetoric on the public option plan as a cornerstone of health care reform. The outcry against the public option has been so strong that the administration simply has no choice.
Just this weekend there have been more protests here in Raleigh, as well as gatherings of thousands of people in Atlanta, GA, and a heavily democratic area in Seaside, Oregon (a state that is quite familiar with the effects of a government sponsored health system) – just to name a few.
Not to mention the noticeable absence of Obama’s huge network of grassroots supporters. This along with his dwindling poll numbers should be a clear indication that a large majority of people are against this government takeover of health care.
People are realizing that the “change” happening in Washington, DC is far from what they envisioned last November. The government is incessantly discussing reform, cost containment, inefficiency – but talk is cheap and evidence is everything. If government is so sure they can bring reform to the health insurance market at no cost why don’t they start by demonstrating this through Medicaid and Medicare and all the other costly and inefficiently run government plans.
Obviously the debate over government’s role in health care is far from over – but this is a promising development.
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