The Senate is moving their health care bill forward. The bill is not what we envisioned when we first started this fight.
Because the bill is a far cry from what we wanted, it’s hard to see past our desire for comprehensive reform and look at what we’ve achieved.
But, we have to realize that this marks the first time in decades that meaningful health care reform won a vote on the Senate floor.
With all of it’s shortcomings, this bill will result in 30 million people in the United States having health coverage who didn’t before.
Through our battle so far, we’ve shown that our values are shared by a majority of people in this country. We’ve pushed Congress to start voting on progressive issues. And we’ve won an important shift toward our view that government has a responsibility to meet public needs. Our victory is the vote.
Because the larger fight for health care reform is far from over, we need to take a moment now to realize that this is just one step on the way to everyone in America enjoying the right to quality, affordable health care. We can’t let our disappointment today cause us to walk away.
Fighting among ourselves about the merits of the legislation will only result in the right-wing claiming victory. I’m not going to let that happen, and I’m sure you won’t either.
So, take some time this week to enjoy your family and friends. Rest up. We have a hard fight ahead – this is just the beginning.
Thanks for all you do and happy holidays,
Karen Scharff
Executive Director
Citizen Action of New York