Dr. Margaret Flowers: Why I Am Risking Arrest for Medicare for All

[marmar]

via MichaelMoore.com:



October 30th, 2009 6:10 AM
Why I Am Risking Arrest for Medicare for All

By Margaret Flowers, M.D.


Let me begin by saying that I don't have any desire to be arrested. I am a pediatrician with 3 teenagers and a husband who would prefer that I do not spend time in jail. I have never actually spent the night in jail and I imagine it’s not very pleasant. To be honest, I am a bit frightened. But, I expect that these are normal feelings and I am dedicated to act despite my reservations because there comes a time when our conscience dictates that we act. That time is now (or "way past now" as doctors and patients whom I've met in my travels have told me).

In short, I am going to be arrested because I believe that it is my professional responsibility to advocate on behalf of those patients who are suffering and because it is clear that traditional advocacy tools are not working. The phrase that runs continuously through my mind is "To be silent is to be complicit." I cannot be complicit in the face of an industry that profits at the cost of human lives and in the face of an administration and Congress that are too dysfunctional to stop this practice.

I left practice more than 2 years ago to advocate for health reform. This year I traveled on a particularly unexpected and eye-opening journey. In January, I celebrated the inauguration of a new President who I hoped would be the agent to create real change in America I hoped we would see changes that benefited the people of America (more than the corporations). I joined the steering committee of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care because I believed that if we built the grassroots movement for real health care reform: a national publicly-financed health system that was truly universal and accountable, Medicare for all, then we would provide the political cover so that the new administration and the Congress could pass it, or at the very least discuss it. I believed when the administration said that it wanted to hear from the Americans, that we would actually have a debate about how to improve health care in this nation.

Early in the year, I lobbied with many other members of the LCGHC who represented health professionals, patients, labor and faith groups. We had two simple requests: include advocates of single payer Medicare for all in the hearings and do an economic study of single payer legislation so that it could be compared to the plans being put together in Congress. We were assured by members, such as Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that this would happen. However, before long, we saw quotes from the leadership that essentially said all options were on the table except single payer. Ever the optimist, I thought this was simply a signal to work harder. "OK," I told myself, "they aren't going to make this easy. No surprise there."

We continued to meet with members, we pressured the White House to invite single payer representatives to the Health Summit in March (which they did) and we continued to reach out to organizations to join our movement. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/why-i-am-risking-arrest-medicare-all

[snagglepuss]

1. A must read. K & R