EVEN AS THE presidential race gets down to the wire, some voters have had enough of the bipartisan bickering standing in the way of U.S. healthcare reform. They want change to come no matter who wins.
The Divided We Fail movement, organized by the AARP, Business Roundtable, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), is challenging lawmakers, organizations and others to back a plan to end partisan gridlock on healthcare and get every American access to affordable, quality healthcare.
According to the coalition, 346 of the 535 members of Congress have signed a pledge to support the movement, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
The AARP recently released a study, commissioned by Divided We Fail, of undecided swing voters in six key battleground states. The organization conducted telephone interviews of a random sample of 2,405 voters in New Hampshire, New Mexico, Iowa, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. The majority of respondents indicated they don’t feel that either candidate is adequately addressing these issues.
In addition, 94 percent of those surveyed said healthcare and financial security are too big for any one candidate or party to fix. Seventy-two percent of those surveyed believe the candidates are doing a poor or fair job of addressing key issues.
According to AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond, “Both candidates must be willing to work across party lines to deliver legislative solutions.”
“The way they’re campaigning now, however, is not getting it done,” she said. “People want a change not just in the White House, but in how Washington does business. The candidates need to set a tone in this election that doesn’t continue to undermine the public’s faith and trust.”
Both Obama and McCain have vowed to make healthcare a high priority and want to decrease the number of Americans without coverage. In many ways, they have the same goals.
In a survey conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Obama said his plan "guarantees coverage for every American" and "builds on and improves our current insurance system."
McCain has said, "We can and must provide access to healthcare for every American."
More than likely, change is going to come down to who has the power to persuade and who can get Congress to vote across party lines to accomplish a common goal.