| "For me, this is a season of hope. New hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many and not just for the few. New hope, and this is the cause of my life, new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American - north, south, east, west, young, old- will have decent quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege." - Senator Edward M. Kennedy speaking before the Democratic National Convention in 2008
The words delivered by Senator Edward M. Kennedy at last year's convention came exactly a year to the day of his passing.
On August 25, 2008, Senator Kennedy stood before Democrats of all makes - the progressives of the party, the moderates of the party and the conservatives of the party - and said that health care should be a right, not a privilege. It was something that Kennedy believed in, not just on that night, but throughout his career in the United States Senate.
 Senator Kennedy saw the passage of many key pieces of legislation that drastically changed the quality of health care in this country. On his Senate website, there is a long list of accomplishments and goals regarding health care. The list is long and worth mentioning:
Throughout his Senate career, Senator Kennedy has championed the cause of quality health care for all Americans. Among the many landmark laws enacted under his leadership and sponsorship are the Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act of 1986, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990, the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997, creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Children's Health Act of 2000, the Project BioShield Act of 2003, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2005, the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.
You could argue that, single-handedly, Senator Kennedy improved our health care system through his support of the above legislation. His goal was a system of health care where every American is covered and has access to the best quality of care. It was, as he said in his speech to the DNC last year, to be a right for all Americans, not a privilege.
The fight for health care started a long time ago for Kennedy. In a profile by the Boston Globe, the story was told about health care reform attempts in the early 1970s. Then-President Richard Nixon proposed a plan that would have covered nearly every individual through their employer and then covered the poor through government subsidies. But that's not the type of reform Kennedy wanted. What he wanted was more of a single-payer system. What he wanted was a true national health care system.
Unfortunately, neither the Nixon proposal or Kennedy proposal became reality.
Kennedy was at the center of the fight for health care reform in 1993 when President Bill Clinton was working to install universal health care. And he was, until his death, a central figure in the reform fight going on right now in this country.
For Kennedy, this was one of the most important missions of his time in the Senate. The irony is that a draft of a bill discussed earlier this year was similar to that of the Nixon proposal he had stood firmly against. Such an act isn't surprising. Even though he is known as the "Liberal Lion" and will long be remembered as the quintessential Democrat, he believed in talking with the other side to reach reform. It was what made him liked by Republicans. In Sen. John McCain's words today, if Sen. Kennedy was around for this health care fight, we would have had progress and there might even be a Republican or two willing to support such legislation. That is the type of impact Sen. Kennedy has had in Washington D.C.
So what will we do now that Senator Kennedy is no longer with us? We need to pass real health care reform this year. The great thing about Senator Kennedy's legacy is that while he was willing to talk with people, he did not make concessions that would take away from the key elements of legislation. His goal was health care for all. Our goal should be nothing less.
Two key elements of health care reform that Senator Kennedy stressed were a strong public option and more employer responsibility. After all, the public option exists so that if you aren't happy with your health insurance, you can then choose to receive a national health care plan. That is something Senator Kennedy wanted.
But Senator Kennedy also wanted more responsibility from employers who provide coverage. If an employer didn't offer health insurance, they would be charged a fee per employee. Considering the cost of health insurance is greater than such a fee per employee, that is not a bad move.
Health care reform is not a new issue. It is something that has been needed for a long time. Out of everyone in government, no one knew that better than Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He was at the forefront of the fight. In his honor, we need to pass landmark legislation that will fix a broken system and allow the 47 million Americans without insurance to have the right to the same health care that many other millions of Americans enjoy.
It is a right, not a privilege. We need to honor Senator Kennedy's memory by doing the right thing. |
