I understand why the many advocates and citizens who fought with me for a stronger bill are angry. But I urge them to harness their anger to make it better — now and every year from now. We should start by insisting that House leaders and the president strengthen the legislation prior to final passage rather than simply accept the weaker Senate bill. As delicate as the compromises were that allowed Senate Democratic leaders to break a GOP filibuster, they are not so delicate that the bill cannot be constructively changed between now and passage, especially on issues that were not at the heart of the Senate battle.
Once a bill is enacted, we must demand more steps to provide immediate relief to Americans before the exchanges are operational nearly a half-decade from now. And we must fight to revive the public option to deliver on reform’s promise of cost control and accountability for insurers.
We have a once-in-a-generation moment to pass reform, and we must seize it. But what we pass must be understood as only a step — an important but ultimately incomplete step — toward the goals that the inspiring campaign for the public option embodied.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member