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« Hillary Reiterates: Women's Rights Are Human Rights--Yes! | Main | Who Do You Nominate for the Bum Steer Award? »
Thursday
24Dec2009

What were your thoughts, feelings, worries when the Senate passed the health reform bill?

What were your thoughts, feelings, worries this morning when the Senate passed the health reform bill?

This is the question I asked on Facebook this morning and there were so many thoughtful and interesting responses

that I just had to share them here. Please add yours too!

I was thinking that we deserved better than a gift-wrapped Christmas present for the health care industry. This is
neither health, nor care, nor even reform.
Patricia M Sears
Patricia M Sears
It felt good to have 60 votes for progress towards health care reform... and we Must point out that the opposition
votes are against any health care reform as they did not even offer an alternate plan.

We Must Remind Americans that we're FOR reform (albeit it's not a pretty sausage at the moment) and the
opposition (39/40) is Not! Be clear, be consistent in communicating this important point.
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
This is not progress towards reform. It's the opposite.
Sammie Moshenberg
Sammie Moshenberg
betrayal and sadness -- because I should have been celebrating an historic victory but, as history has shown us,
victories are often at the expense of women
Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson
We have a helluva lot of work to do fixing this monstrosity.
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
If there is any benchmark that shows what a disastrous bill this is, it's the 50-year high in stock prices for the
illustrious insurance industry this past week. Seriously, 'nuff said.
Pat Elliott
Pat Elliott
Angry. Defeated. Worried for future generations. Skeptical of comments about how a little bit of progress was all that was possible and better than none.
That they have lost their minds.
Suzanne Petroni
Suzanne Petroni
Really wish I could say "Thrilled and excited!" but they lost me at Stupak and no public option.
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
.. and no price caps. Did they not take Econ 101?
Kelley Bell
Kelley Bell
Change happens, but is measured in centuries, not decades. -We've been working on this since Truman was in office. We are so close. We can't stop now. We must get it passed, THEN work on the amendments needed to make it right. (I know
thats a hard pill to swallow, but its the way these things work.)
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
The reason those analogies don't work is that the incremental moves toward SS and Medicare shifted power AWAY
FROM the private sector, not TOWARD it. If we couldn't get solid reform with the huge majority and Dem WH we
have now, it's naive to believe we ever will. Face it: The corporations, and the Blue Cross Dems, have won.
Alan Herzog
Alan Herzog
Mixed feelings. Recognizing the shortcomings yet thinking that in spite of the vicious opposition, the hateful scare
tactics, etc, there was a vote for change--be it real or imagined.
Gloria Feldt
Gloria Feldt
One thing I am worried about is that people will think it's all done, whereas the reconciliation process between the
House and Senate versions starts immediately and behind closed doors. Very important to stay engaged and keep
the pressure on for improvements in the final bill.
Cassandra West
Cassandra West
While it's true Obama didn't "fight" for the public option, we the public didn't fight hard enough for it, either.
Gloria Feldt
Gloria Feldt
Cassandra, I never thought the public option made sense in the first place. What we really need is single payer
universal coverage, and that's where thought Obama should have started. Not that I ever believed we'd end up
there this time around, but we'd be a lot closer to the system we are inevitably going to have to create if we are
really serious... See More about controlling costs and making quality care accessible to all Americans. It's that vision
that is missing and only the president can lay it out so that the public will fight for a bold goal. That's the key job
of the executive.
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
Agreed, Gloria. More and more this president shows his deference to Congress. If he truly feels it's the most
important branch of government, he ought to have stayed there.
Kelley Bell
Kelley Bell
So true. Our HC system is fraught with profiteers and red tape. Trying to eliminate that will be so hard, as people do
not let go of their money streams without a fight.

For example: When I went for my yearly physical, I decided to look at it from a business perspective. My Dr. sent
me for blood work, a mammogram and a pap smear. -All pretty standard stuff.

I wrote down a list of every person involved in the process: The secretary who made the appointment, the insurance
person I called for pre-approval, the blood tech, the mammogram operator, the secretary in that department, the
doctors who read the results, etc. ... See More

Final count: 43 people.

43 people for my doctor to tell me Im perfectly healthy.

How are we going to fix that? and what happens to all those much needed jobs if we do?
Bob Lamm
Bob Lamm
Excellent statements, Gloria. I agree completely with your analysis. And with your view that we must all stay
engaged and work for the best possible changes in the congressional reconciliation process.
Candice Feldt
Candice Feldt
Gloria Feldt for President! :)
Jan Rodak
Jan Rodak
An unmentioned issue about public option/Medicare is that its internal controls involve heavy compliance burdens to make sure the government isn't getting ripped off. I work on that side of it, representing nine critical-access hospitals. The Medicare compliance requirements are enough to keep an army employed. It's a pain in the you-know-what, but... See More what choice does the government have? When some providers commit fraud against taxpayers, protection is needed.

Private insurers don't see nearly the volume of fraudulent claims, and their internal controls involve arbitrarily denying claims as a means of controlling costs. So, Kelley, if we shifted to a government-controlled system, there would be plenty of jobs left .. It may seem wasteful, but it's a necessary evil to monitor providers and make sure billing is on the level.

Even still, after all the compliance headaches, it would *still* be more cost-effective, and efficient, to administer health delivery services at the government level.
5 hours ago ·
Marla Krull
Marla Krull
"I second that", Candy!!!!!
4 hours ago ·
Larry Feldt
Larry Feldt
Interesting series of comments. Kelly, passing a flawed bill hoping to change it later is like marrying a flawed person
hoping to change them later - it usually turns into disaster. Alan, you perceive this bill as being change "real or
imangined". If this bill is real it is change for the worse (I think we all agree on this). If imagined change is... See
More acceptable to us, then it is we who are flawed. Cassandra, if "we the public" did not fight hard enough for a
public option, it simply means that "we the public do not want a public option". Candy, I would certainly vote for
Gloria for President and think she should run. I do not always agree with her politically (although I many times do)
but respect her intellegence, experience,judgement, and ability enough to think she would make a great President.
I also think Alex would be a great "First Gentleman".

Happy holidays to you all.
Marla Krull
Marla Krull
And Candy could be "first sister" and we could be "first cousins":):):) Can you just imagine a White House full of Feldts!!!!!!!!!!LOL

Gloria Feldt

Gloria Feldt
And have you noticed it's only the Feldts who have the presidential idea? Just want to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom?

Reader Comments (8)

"Why am I up when I know what's going to happen?" :)

Just heaved a big sigh as in, "Ok - now on to the next hurdle - or set of hurdles."

The fact is, I am privileged. I will, GOD WILLING and with some continued fiscal responsibility and oversight and preventative health care, always have health care. But it does constantly cost more, is horribly inefficient from a customer and payee perspective, and now that I'm a city council member for a small city getting crushed by falling tax revenue and a decline in the collection of estate taxes and property devaluation, paying for it for our city's employees is a huge matter.

i believe industrialized nations should be able to provide access to and actually cover every resident of the respective nation. Why else do we seek being industrialized and wealthy if not to do better with our resources.

It's not that I like the idea of paying it forward in terms of thousands and thousands of dollars that we earn every day we work, thousands that could go to my kids in one way or another for their education and future, but I do believe we take care of each other - there is a cost to that, and I'm willing to pay it in money rather than pay it in them not being well-taken care of, unemployed or otherwise suffering.

I hope this makes sense - and in my case, we do live these ideals - even though it can be very, very hard to make such decisions. But greed and gluttony are vices for a reason.

December 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJill

Thanks for your thoughts, Jill. It's always hard to know in the middle of such complicated legislative processes exactly where to draw one's line in the sand. Still, I very much agree with your conclusions, that as a nation we are obligated and we can provide for a just health care system for our citizens.

I just read the transcript of NY Congressman Anthony Weiner's liveblog from a couple days ago--you can find it on a website he has created called Count Down to Health Care. The url is http://countdowntohealthcare.com/. It's heartening to know that there are still some champions for truly universal health care, and fighters for improving on the Senate bill as the two houses go through the conference committee process.

December 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGloria Feldt

Hey, Gloria, I have been thinking about suggesting you run for office, though I did not think you would be interested in running for President! I never did that, because I did not think you were angry enough, yet. If this bill passes with anything like the Stupak or Nelson language intact, I think there will be lots of women mad enough to revolt. Democrats do not deserve the selfless loyalty of women. This trifling with women's rights is no fluke. If Democrats think women's rights are expendable, they deserve to see this bill fail, and to mourn what will befall them when more than a few women declare political independence. Anyone who agrees ought to consider running for office as a feminist revolutionary. Democrats like to pretend they are cleaning up the mess Bush left. Who will clean up the messes Democrats are making?

December 25, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAletha

Seriously, I've considered running for office a couple of times. The last time was about the same time I was recruited for the presidency of PPFA. The decision to give a decade of my life to that endeavor pretty much clinched the probability that I won't. I seem to be better fit for influencing from the outside where I don't have to violate my principles. I wouldn't be a good legislator--too little patience for the process--and executive positions are few. But mostly, I want to write and actually have a life after giving my all to a movement for three decades. I am thrilled about all the younger women who are running or want to run for office. And I totally agree that the Democrats don't deserve women's selfless loyalty, which is why I no longer give to or work for the party, only individuals.

December 25, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGloria Feldt

I seem to be better fit for influencing from the outside where I don't have to violate my principles.

That issue is close to my heart, and brought to mind one of my articles not on the Free Soil blog or the original version of the web site. I thought Why America Needs Radical Women Presidents would make a good introduction to the long defunct Ms. Magazine bulletin board. I wrote it almost eight years ago, but much of it still feels relevant today. The whole idea of running as a feminist revolutionary is to influence from outside so-called political reality so one can fight for principles instead of having to witness the system inexorably trivialize them away. An independent feminist-centered political party could support this, give women the clout to stand on principle and give people a reason to believe democracy can work. These are a few excerpts from that article that illustrate how that could work.

Politics could be about a fair contest of political ideas, instead of raising money and public relations gimmicks.


The gender gap is the flippant name given to women skeptical of male wisdom, but this discontent has important implications. After suffering from male control of human affairs for thousands of years, it is time for women to counter that at every level.


Democrats expect feminists to trust empty words, since the obvious alternative is worse.

The Free Soil Party will nominate women wishing to represent their feminist vision.

The party will defend this feminist vision as practical and overdue.

Things do not have to be run this way. This system is not inevitable, just a ripoff unimaginable in scale. Male power keeps it going. Woman power could destroy the gravy train, so men try to keep political women in line, moderate cooperative game-players, while radicals standing independent are supposed to keep fighting on the margin, like fringe groups.

That article elaborates on the theme, expressing my feminist vision at the time. The point is no woman should have to violate her principles to represent her feminist vision. The party exists to make that possible. If Democrats had to negotiate with feminist revolutionaries as well as guys like Sen. Nelson and Rep. Stupak, we would not have such problems as watching our rights get trifled away as expendable if it means Obama will get something he can call a health insurance reform bill on his desk. There is no reason the disappointment with Obama and his party could not get enough angry women elected to represent a balance of power Democrats could not afford to antagonize.


I will be writing more about this on my blog when I respond to Bill Clinton saying in politics the best ideas are not enough to win. That is one huge problem with this alleged democracy, money talks louder than ideas. This culture is morally bankrupt, preserving the status quo by keeping the best ideas off the table. Visionary women could do better, but the system is geared to allow only minor changes that do not rock the boat. As long as Democrats are perceived as the best hope for women, women might as well be in the predicament of Alice in Through the Looking Glass,

it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.

December 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAletha

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January 13, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterKim35SL

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January 18, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterSXGeena

Senate passed the health reform bill and there is nothing any news or good terms.I think before Obama other Precident had given more beneficial health reform bill.

February 8, 2010 | Unregistered Commenternintendo ds r4

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