NOT SINCE 1965 has America seen the kind of healthcare reform revolution that is brewing today.
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law as part of the Social Security Amendments. The debate over a Medicare law had been going on for 20 years, with fears of socialism front and center.
This summer and fall have seen a buildup of highly charged feelings on the part of average citizens and members of Congress. This summer’s nationwide town hall meetings showed Americans’ concern over the same issues we saw preceding Medicare: The beginning of a federal takeover of healthcare, unsustainable healthcare costs and concerns over the welfare of citizens.
Unlike the Medicare battle of 1965, social media plays a role, allowing for more organized, extensive grassroots campaigns. Congressional debate is available at the click of a mouse. Your average citizen can weigh in.
The White House has used that media to try and dispel rumors aimed at its reform plans, while four of the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over healthcare have drafted bills and the Senate Finance Committee is hashing out its version now.
There has been no shortage of healthcare experts, think tanks and nonprofit groups representing every aspect of American life and the debate offering their two cents.
As the town halls of this summer exemplified, the debate is not always rational or subdued. The nation’s feelings on both sides seem to run as deep as family, God and country.
The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, host of the “State of Belief” radio show and president of the Interfaith Alliance, summed it up recently: “The appropriate foundation for legislation on national healthcare is not anyone’s religion. Rather, it is the need for the nation to do right by all of its citizens and keep faith with the Constitution.”
Yet, “doing right by citizens” is a matter of interpretation that may or may not have an acceptable compromise for either side.
President Barack Obama wants a healthcare overhaul passed by the end of this year. Will that actually happen, or will America continue with another 20 years of debate as it did with the Medicare battle? It's anyone’s guess.