To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×

HR 4789 and The Public Option: The Way Forward

Health care reform -- here's
where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate
bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation
amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public
option, but once the House passes the Senate bill, that's history.

Which is why I introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act. This simple four-page bill
lets any American buy into Medicare at cost. You want it, you pay for
it, you're in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs.

Let's face it. Health insurance companies charge as much money as
possible, and they provide as little care as possible. The difference
is called profit. You can't blame them for it; that's what a
corporation does. Birds got to fly, fish got to swim, health insurers
got to rip you off. And if you get really expensive, they've got to
pull the plug on you. So for those of us who would like to stay alive,
we need a public option.

In many areas of the country, one or two insurers have over 80% of
the market. They can charge anything they want. And when you get sick,
they can flip the bird at you. So we need a public option.

And they face no real competition because it costs billions of
dollars just to set up a national health care network. In fact, the
only one that's nationwide is . . . Medicare. And we limit that to
one-eight of the population. It's like saying that only seniors can
drive on federal highways. We really need a public option.

And to the right-wing loons who call it socialism, we say, "if you
want to be a slave to the insurance companies, that's fine. If you want
30% of your premiums to go to 'administrative costs' and billion-dollar
bonuses for insurance CEOs who figure out new and creative ways to deny
you the care you need to stay healthy and alive, that's fine. But don't
you try to dictate to me that I can't have a public option!"

And there is a way left to get it. By insisting on a vote on H.R. 4789. Three votes on health care, not two. The Senate bill, the reconciliation amendments, and the Public Option Act.

We got 50 co-sponsors for this bill in two days. Including five powerful committee chairman. But we need more.

Sign our Petition at WeWantMedicare.com.

Call. Write. Visit. Do whatever you can do to get you Congressman to
co-sponsor this bill, and push it to a vote. Right now, before it's too
late.

Let's do it!

Update (4:30 pm): We're up to 64cosponsors on HR 4789! Call your member of Congress NOW at (202) 225-3121.


Follow Rep. Alan Grayson on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/alangrayson

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
alan grayson

Health care reform -- here's
where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate
bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation
amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public
option, but once the House passes the Senate bill, that's history.

Which is why I introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act. This simple four-page bill
lets any American buy into Medicare at cost. You want it, you pay for
it, you're in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs.

Let's face it. Health insurance companies charge as much money as
possible, and they provide as little care as possible. The difference
is called profit. You can't blame them for it; that's what a
corporation does. Birds got to fly, fish got to swim, health insurers
got to rip you off. And if you get really expensive, they've got to
pull the plug on you. So for those of us who would like to stay alive,
we need a public option.

In many areas of the country, one or two insurers have over 80% of
the market. They can charge anything they want. And when you get sick,
they can flip the bird at you. So we need a public option.

And they face no real competition because it costs billions of
dollars just to set up a national health care network. In fact, the
only one that's nationwide is . . . Medicare. And we limit that to
one-eight of the population. It's like saying that only seniors can
drive on federal highways. We really need a public option.

And to the right-wing loons who call it socialism, we say, "if you
want to be a slave to the insurance companies, that's fine. If you want
30% of your premiums to go to 'administrative costs' and billion-dollar
bonuses for insurance CEOs who figure out new and creative ways to deny
you the care you need to stay healthy and alive, that's fine. But don't
you try to dictate to me that I can't have a public option!"

And there is a way left to get it. By insisting on a vote on H.R. 4789. Three votes on health care, not two. The Senate bill, the reconciliation amendments, and the Public Option Act.

We got 50 co-sponsors for this bill in two days. Including five powerful committee chairman. But we need more.

Sign our Petition at WeWantMedicare.com.

Call. Write. Visit. Do whatever you can do to get you Congressman to
co-sponsor this bill, and push it to a vote. Right now, before it's too
late.

Let's do it!

Update (4:30 pm): We're up to 64cosponsors on HR 4789! Call your member of Congress NOW at (202) 225-3121.


Follow Rep. Alan Grayson on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/alangrayson

Health care reform -- here's
where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate
bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation
amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public
option, but once the House passes the Senate bill, that's history.

Which is why I introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act. This simple four-page bill
lets any American buy into Medicare at cost. You want it, you pay for
it, you're in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs.

Let's face it. Health insurance companies charge as much money as
possible, and they provide as little care as possible. The difference
is called profit. You can't blame them for it; that's what a
corporation does. Birds got to fly, fish got to swim, health insurers
got to rip you off. And if you get really expensive, they've got to
pull the plug on you. So for those of us who would like to stay alive,
we need a public option.

In many areas of the country, one or two insurers have over 80% of
the market. They can charge anything they want. And when you get sick,
they can flip the bird at you. So we need a public option.

And they face no real competition because it costs billions of
dollars just to set up a national health care network. In fact, the
only one that's nationwide is . . . Medicare. And we limit that to
one-eight of the population. It's like saying that only seniors can
drive on federal highways. We really need a public option.

And to the right-wing loons who call it socialism, we say, "if you
want to be a slave to the insurance companies, that's fine. If you want
30% of your premiums to go to 'administrative costs' and billion-dollar
bonuses for insurance CEOs who figure out new and creative ways to deny
you the care you need to stay healthy and alive, that's fine. But don't
you try to dictate to me that I can't have a public option!"

And there is a way left to get it. By insisting on a vote on H.R. 4789. Three votes on health care, not two. The Senate bill, the reconciliation amendments, and the Public Option Act.

We got 50 co-sponsors for this bill in two days. Including five powerful committee chairman. But we need more.

Sign our Petition at WeWantMedicare.com.

Call. Write. Visit. Do whatever you can do to get you Congressman to
co-sponsor this bill, and push it to a vote. Right now, before it's too
late.

Let's do it!

Update (4:30 pm): We're up to 64cosponsors on HR 4789! Call your member of Congress NOW at (202) 225-3121.


Follow Rep. Alan Grayson on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/alangrayson

alan grayson