Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Tuesday, November 17.1. Jon Walker reports that a new ABC/Washington Post poll indicates the country "nearly divided" on the overall health care reform effort, but "very high popular support [for] the public option and the employer mandate." Isn't it interesting how the most progressive parts are the most popular? Hmmmm.
2. Jane Hamsher comments on an email from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) that says, "The question is no longer if we will have some sort of public option in the final health care reform bill, but instead what form it will take." To put it mildly, Hamsher is suspicious of what this means. asking if Durbin's and Reid's "online people really think they can burn the entire online left community by manipulating them so shamelessly on something that is this important to them, and that nobody will remember?"
3. I've got a roundup from the state blogs, including Calitics, Loaded Orygun, Blogging for Michigan, Blue Virginia, Minnesota Progressive Project, and West Virginia Blue. Keep up the great work, everyone!
4. Jon Walker analyzes the options for passing health care reform in the U.S. Senate without having 60 votes, and asks, "how many thousands of lives and billions of dollars are they willing to throw away to maintain some of their terrible, anti-democratic, anti-constitutional, special Senate privileges?" The answer to that question, of course, should be "none."
5. Jon Walker writes that we need to address health care costs, and that it's no "great mystery" how to do so: "There are plenty of thoroughly tested, completely proven cost control mechanisms we can directly borrow from other nations." One thing's for sure, though, Walker concludes, "we need to take off the 'free market economagic' blinders" and "start by adopting solutions proven to work elsewhere."
6. Jon Walker is concerned that the Stupak Amendment "could radically reduce the availability of abortion coverage in this country," and that "its reach could be far beyond the exchange." Which is why it's such a bad idea and should be removed from health care reform legislation, ASAP!