Heather Graham, the Public Option and other Necessities

The debate over the public option is getting increasingly vigorous on both sides, and Moveon.org, the liberal advocacy organization founded by the Deaniacs in 2004, continues to do excellent work demonstrating why it is so necessary to draw this line in the sand.

If it isn't clear to you yet that large health insurance companies like Cigna, Wellpoint, Bluecross and United Way are the problem, you haven't been paying attention. At our last meeting, a member spoke about his neighbor's treatment at the hands of a greedy insurance company. This person has a son with autism and speech impediments and the corresponding extreme difficulty in social situations and in school. Lucky for this family, they had health insurance through a major provider. However, this provider decreed that speech therapy for the impediments would not be covered under their plan because it was an "elective" procedure. Ask yourself if you think being able to speak coherently is something you could do without. Then ask yourself if you would be all right with you if an insurance company told your son he didn't need to be able to speak.

In the world's most prosperous nation, we should be measured by how we treat the weakest among us, and on my scale, the United States ranks damn near the bottom of first world countries. It is time for us to tell insurance companies that their old tricks aren't going to fly any more. It is time for a public option that will force major providers to provide accessible, affordable care for all. And it is time to start speaking the only language insurance companies are fluent in: that of money. Americans will subscribe to the plan that provides the best coverage for the lowest price, and if the major insurance companies are offering an inferior profit, their bottom line will suffer. And if their precious profits start going down, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll change their ways.

The Moveon ad featuring Heather Graham as the public option illustrates the situation in a wonderful way. Fat, bloated, lazy insurance companies need to be socked right where it hurts: in their wallet. We need more better care and more competition. We need a public option.