Moveon now working in Virginia for Democrat Tom Perriello

Right-wing extremists are crashing tons of events—so it's up to us to make sure the majority of folks who want reform get heard. We need to make sure Rep. Tom Perriello knows that constituents are counting on him to support health care reform with a real public health insurance option that will expand coverage and bring down costs for all of us.

We have numbers on our side, but Rep. Perriello won't know it unless we all show up. Critical votes on health care will come as soon as Congress returns to Washington, so there's no time to waste.

We're in a critical month for President Obama's agenda. Corporate lobbyists are trying to weaken or kill both his energy and health care plans. And recently, right-wing opponents of President Obama's agenda have been hijacking town halls and other public events. They're even using fraudulent tactics, like bringing in people who don't even live in the district.1 We urgently need to make sure everyday constituents are heard in the public debate over health care—and coming to this event is a timely and easy way to do that.

Yes, I'll be there: http://www.moveon.org/heatupcongress/town_hall_attend.html?eid=-event95214-aQrEdBx&id=

1. "Local Fox Reporter Attends Town Hall And Finds 'Some Attendees Admit They Don't Live In The District.'" Think Progress, August 4, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51716&id=16754-8876451-kxIyy5x&t=7

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Thanks for signing up to attend a health care event. Here are the details for your event: Rep. Tom Perriello Tom In Your Town Ruckersville Elementary School, 105 Progress Place, Ruckersville, VA 22968

Here are some signs to print out and bring to the town hall: "Public Option = Affordable Health Care" sign

Here are a few talking points you can use to ask a question at the town hall: I'm here to urge you to push for passage of a health care reform plan with a real public health insurance option as soon as you head back to Washington. It's critical for controlling skyrocketing costs and guaranteeing security for all of us.

Our health care system is broken—costs are skyrocketing and too many people can't afford coverage. The heart of President Obama's health care plan—the public health insurance option—is the key to fixing those problems.

We need action now. The cost of inaction is too high—every day that we delay, 14,000 Americans lose their insurance and nearly 2,500 file for bankruptcy because of medical costs. And costs continue to spiral out of control: average family premiums will hit $22,000 a year in the next decade.

With a real public option, costs will start to go down and millions of individuals, families, and small businesses will have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. And no matter what happens to our jobs or our health, a public option will always be there for us. Will you fight to make sure a real public health insurance option is included in health care reform this year?

UH HUH....the writer has NO agenda.../s

New Poll Shows Tremendous Support for Public Health Care Option
By Bernie Horn

June 15, 2009 - 12:24pm ET

Eighty-three percent of Americans favor and only 14 percent oppose “creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase” according to EBRI, a conservative business research organization. This flatly contradicts conservatives’ loudest attack against President Obama’s plan to provide quality, affordable health care for all.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) calls itself “the most authoritative and objective source of information” on the issues of employee retirement and health benefits. Founded in 1978, EBRI says it “is the gold standard for private analysts and decision makers, government policymakers, the media, and the public.” And EBRI is funded by many of the largest corporations in America.

EBRI’s biggest donors include: AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Mills, IBM, JBMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Northop Grumman, Schering-Plough, Schwab, T.Rowe Price, UBS Financial, and Wal-Mart. EBRI also receives large contributions from the insurance industry, including: Blue Cross Blue Shield, CIGNA, Hartford, Kaiser Permanente, Massachusetts Mutual, Metropolitan Life, Union Labor Life, and UnitedHealth.

Here’s who paid for the poll, as stated by EBRI:

This survey was made possible with support from AARP, American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Buck Consultants, Chevron, Deere & Company, IBM, Mercer, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Principal Financial Group, Schering-Plough Corp., Shell Oil Company, The Commonwealth Fund, and Towers Perrin.
So clearly, no one can accuse this organization of being “liberal” on health care issues.

These findings are from EBRI’s 2009 Health Confidence Survey, their 12th annual poll:

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the following:

Creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase:
• Strongly support—53 percent
• Somewhat support—30 percent
• Somewhat oppose—5 percent
• Strongly oppose—9 percent

Having national rules requiring insurance companies to cover all people, regardless of their health problems:
• Strongly support—55 percent
• Somewhat support—25 percent
• Somewhat oppose—9 percent
• Strongly oppose—9 percent

Expanding government programs, such as Medicare or Medicaid:
• Strongly support—45 percent
• Somewhat support—30 percent
• Somewhat oppose—9 percent
• Strongly oppose—12 percent

Requiring all employers to pay toward subsidized health insurance for employees:
• Strongly support—42 percent
• Somewhat support—33 percent
• Somewhat oppose—10 percent
• Strongly oppose—12 percent

Requiring everyone to participate in some kind of health insurance plan:
• Strongly support—38 percent
• Somewhat support—30 percent
• Somewhat oppose—13 percent
• Strongly oppose—16 percent
Despite clear public support for these provisions—all of which are likely to be in the Democrats’ health care reform legislation—conservatives won’t go along. The biggest battle right now is over the public plan option. As commentator Al Hunt points out:

Although almost half of Americans are already covered by a public health plan, inclusion of a government option is a deal-killer for most Republicans and [some] Democrats…
The Congressional Progressive Caucus says it is a deal-killer if the public option is left out of the health care reform legislation. Get ready for a titanic tug of war.

There was another new health care poll in the news today, this one by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg. Although the specifics aren’t yet released, he talks about his polling in the New Republic. I point it out because it echoes two important points I made last week in a somewhat controversial post called “Why Not Single-Payer?”

I said “About 3/4ths of insured Americans are satisfied with their health insurance.” Greenberg says: “Yet three-quarters are satisfied with their own health insurance.”

I said “When Americans hear about a health care proposal, they immediately think “how is it going to affect me and my family.” That’s their overarching, overwhelming concern.” Greenberg says when Clinton proposed his plan, “people responded personally, working to figure out what it all meant for them—the impact on their family, access to their doctors, dollars and cents, and on everything they’d done to become satisfied with their health care.”

Some readers commented that they simply didn’t believe the polling I cited in “Why Not Single-Payer?” It is natural for all of us—myself included—to seek out polls that support our side and disregard contrary polling results. But please understand that President Obama and progressive health care advocates have access to so much polling on this issue; they are not picking-and-choosing the polls they like. They are making clear-headed decisions in an effort to get the very best health care plan that can possibly be enacted by Congress this year.

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