Health Care Reform

Is there anything more confusing than our health care system? And now we face the daunting task of shaping health care reform.

Wading through the myriad of reform plans that seem to proliferate exponentially makes the effort that much more difficult, and in the end, we all have our own ideas of what we want to see.

The question remains, then, what reforms can we all agree on and how can we achieve them? Many of us, in political groups, as individuals, within community groups, non-profits and the faith community are working on this very question.

There are many obstacles to comprehensive reform, of course, but one critical means to realizing our objectives is often overlooked…our own political will.

We've worked extremely hard for a long time now, sometimes seeing a dim light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes not. What we forget is that we have the very real power to influence our representatives, at all levels of government, to achieve at least some of our goals.

In our own state, the health care problems are many, and with the loss of Measure 50 last month, one of the most glaring one deals with children, for we still have 117,000 uninsured children as well as a lack of resources for rural health care and school-based clinics. These conditions, of course, only add to the evergrowing financial burden on families across the state.

While we're all painfully aware of the growing number of populations that are medically underserved, or unserved altogether, the Health Care Caucus steering committee is looking at four goals to accomplish by November 2008.

The first is gaining a super majority in the legislature. The next two are aimed at children's health: getting school-based clinics funded and expanded and securing a firm commitment from legislators ensuring that by fall of 2009, all Oregon children will be immunized. Our fourth goal is to see that rural health clinics are adequately funded throughout the state.

Is it worth going after small victories when so many adults are suffering?

It's a more than fair question, but again I would say this: we need some victories, if only to prove to ourselves that we can, indeed, win them. And to help break the deadlock that comes when the waters are so muddied it's difficult to know which way to go.

We chose these reform issues because we believe them to be both important and reachable... because we believe the social will exists to bring these to fruition…because we believe that success breeds confidence, builds capacity and know-how and leads naturally to more success….because we believe that social will can shape political will.

And because it's up to us - all of us - to stand up and advocate for real health care reform.

Susan Silodor, Chair Health Care Caucus of the Democratic Party of Oregon