Dare We Hope for Movement on Health Reform?

The last couple of weeks have been a little depressing around the office since we got word that movement on health reform was stalling.  My eight year old who always thought ensuring all children have quality accessible health care was a small feat was so confused when I told him that what Mommy had been working on for more than a year may not come to fruition.  The disappointment of those who would benefit from reform must be so much stronger.  Not to mention all of my friends and family who are so tired of me talking about health reform all the time!

Yesterday produced two glimmers of hope.  Although not a main tenet of his speech, President Obama did spend some time on health care and did include a strong plea to move ahead.   The President encouraged Congress not to “walk away from reform.”

On another positive note, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a commitment to getting health care done.  The idea of making some key changes through the budget reconciliation process and then passing the Senate bill in the House seems to be getting some traction.  And the Speaker is promoting this path and working with House members to garner support.

I am not saying that these glimmers of hope mean we are on our way, but they are positive movements in a debate that has quieted in the past week. As an association, we want keep the debate on health reform moving forward to make sure that it works for children. We have worked to include key provisions for children over the past year in health reform legislation and we don’t want to lose now. Health reform would move us in the right direction to ensure that our nation’s children will be able to access the right care at the right time. 

When I get discouraged about our progress, I remember the President’s words not from the state of the union address but his health care address to Congress in September, “I still believe we can act even when it's hard.  I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress.  I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test.”  We need to make sure that the President and Congress meet this test for our nation’s children. 

Comments

[Morna Smith]

Please thank your boys for sharing you over the past year as you worked to analyze this legislation to help all children. And thanks to all families of NACH staff. Great picture!

[Jocelyn Guyer]

Great points. I found myself personally needing to remind myself of his words, "We don't give up" when things are hard to get myself out of bed this morning for a conference on health reform implementation. Such a brutal time for those who need health coverage, and, while less so, those of us who have spent way too much of our lives on the issue.