DFA calls for rejecting health care bill

Below is the message being circulated by Democracy for America, Gov. Howard Dean’s netroots organizing group, over the signature of Jim Dean. I dearly hope that the predictions expressed are too pessimistic. But they make a lot of sense.
[message follows]


I’ll get straight to the point.

If Democrats remove the choice of a public option, they can’t force Americans to buy health insurance.

Here’s
the deal, Senate leaders are all over Washington claiming they finally
have a healthcare reform bill they can pass, as long as they remove the
public option. After all, they say, even without a public option, the
bill still “covers 30 million more Americans.” The problem is that’s
not really true.

What they are actually talking about is
something called the “individual mandate.” That’s a section of the law
that requires every single American buy health insurance or break the
law and face penalties and fines. So, the bill doesn’t
actually “cover” 30 million more Americans — instead it makes them
criminals if they don’t buy insurance from the same companies that got
us into this mess.

A public option would have
provided the competition needed to drive down costs and improve
coverage. It would have kept insurance companies honest by providing an
affordable alternative Americans can trust. That’s why, without a
public option, this bill is almost a trillion dollar taxpayer giveaway
to insurance companies.

We must act fast. Both Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Senators need to hear from you. Please stop whatever else you are doing and make the calls right now.

Senator Harry Reid
DC: (202) 224-3542

Carson City: (775) 882-7343
Las Vegas: (702) 388-5020
Reno: (775) 686-5750

Call your Democratic Senator too — Senate Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 

REPORT YOUR CALL AND TELL US HOW IT WENT

Without
the choice of a public option, forcing Americans to buy health
insurance isn’t just bad policy, it’s political disaster for Democrats
— a ticking time-bomb for years to come.


Does anyone think Republicans won’t use this against Democrats in 2010?

What
about in 2014 after the mandate goes into effect and the press reports
all the horror stories of Americans forced to choose between paying
their monthly health insurance bill to Aetna or paying rent?

The mandate is toxic and Democrats will own it. By the 2016 presidential election, is there any wonder how this will play out for Democrats?

CALL SENATOR HARRY REID NOW AT (202) 224-3542 THEN REPORT YOUR CALL HERE

The message is simple: No public option? No Mandate!

Thank you for everything you do,

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

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