True to its revolutionary roots, Massachusetts once again leads the way. Having passed and put into action the landmark health care reform law, the Bay State now boasts the lowest rate of uninsured residents nationwide. Health care reform is alive, well and working in Massachusetts. But, our job isn’t done.
Health care is in worse shape than ever, and the status quo is hurting everybody. Unsustainable cost increases continue to threaten the ability of government, business, individuals and families to pay for health care – even in Massachusetts. Across the country, the number of uninsured is at record highs, and inaction on reform at the national level continues to undermine the security of our families and workers.
For decades we’ve watched our nation’s policymakers struggle and fail to find a way to provide access to affordable health care to the detriment of both families and businesses. At the same time, we’ve seen financial security become more remote for millions of Americans in their daily lives and as they grow older.
But now, even amid one of the worst economies in memory, we have the opportunity of a lifetime to resolve both crises.
The spirit of the debate has changed. In the early nineties, health care reform was formulated in a vacuum – with little common ground, and even less consensus. Few could agree on the definition of the problem, let alone the solution. Any potential for collaboration was drowned out by a chorus of “no.”
Saying “no” was easy then, but history isn’t always doomed to repeat itself – and Massachusetts has made the case. Lessons learned helped to raise the bar and taught us that health care affects everyone, though often in different ways. As a result, every American and every group has a stake in the health care reform debate.
For nearly two years, four of the nation’s most influential and dissimilar organizations – AARP, Business Roundtable, SEIU and the National Federation of Independent Business – have put aside vast differences and come together to lead an initiative called Divided We Fail. We represent consumers, labor, big business and small business, and still we have found common purpose in pursuit of health care and financial security for every American.
Divided We Fail’s combined 53 million members spent this past election season making sure that every politician knew just how important health and financial security are to all Americans. We held hundreds of town hall meetings and community conversations, appeared before presidential candidates at more than 1,000 events along the campaign trail, and organized tens of thousands of activists online. We brought together the voices of millions of people – Democrats and Republicans, union workers, mom and pop shop owners, and CEOs. This kind of action and support was lacking in previous efforts, and it will be critical to breaking through customary political gridlock and moving the nation toward solutions.
Keeping a diverse group together will not be easy, but there are reasons to be hopeful. Over the past 18 months, more than 360 Members of Congress – including the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation – have committed to putting aside partisan differences and taking action on health care and financial security. Along with them, 1.6 million Americans signed on to demand bipartisan action on these top domestic priorities. We are determined to build on this momentum as the health care reform debate intensifies in the months ahead.
We are here to help President-Elect Obama and the new Congress increase the quality of health care while reining in costs. That means focusing on prevention and chronic care, building a system that delivers value and gives patients more tools to manage their own care.
We are prepared to work with Congress and the new Administration to help shape the way these issues are addressed. The respective membership of Divided We Fail alone is one-seventh of the U.S. population – with thousands joining every day. We stand uniquely positioned to act as the umbrella under which real reform can take place.
Despite these challenging times, we’re more optimistic than ever before that progress can be made, both in Washington D.C. and across the country. We believe that by working together we will find a way to provide access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. We can’t afford not to.
###
Deborah Banda is the state director of AARP Massachusetts, representing more than 879,000 members age 50 and older in the Bay State. This editorial appeared in the February 1, 2009 edition of the Fifty Plus Advocate, the statewide mature market newspaper.
Other Resources
preview