Monday, April 24, 2017

Rowdy Townhalls Focus on Healthcare



Saturday, I went to a townhall meeting by my congressman, Brad Sherman.  Nearly all of the 1300 people who showed up (his largest townhall ever) were obvious supporters of Sherman.  Of course in a district of 771,000 people, there were bound to be some non-supporters as well.  This vocal minority made for some very contentious moments (as to be expected).

The more passionate elements of the crowd were not focused on Trump, his cabinet, or even Russia. They were focused on healthcare.  The majority of signs being waived had slogans like: "HEALTHCARE FOR ALL", "FIGHT REPEAL AND REPLACE", "YES TO SINGLE PAYER" and "SUPPORT SB-562" (a single-payer bill in the California Senate).

As stated in Modern Healthcare
"In crowded town halls around the country, congressional Republicans had many eye-opening encounters this past week with Americans who voiced fear and anger over the prospect that they will lose their health insurance if the Affordable Care Act is repealed." 
The feeling of uncertainty is not limited to just Republicans, of course, and Brad Sherman's townhall is a testament to the general concern that people have about their healthcare.  With threats of global war, human rights violations, and terrorism (domestic and abroad), health insurance is probably on the top of everyone's list of worries.

All these other threats are incredibly important and vital problems to solve.  But when you are sick and can't afford treatment, somehow you don't worry about illegal immigration as much.

There is a vast divide between the two sides on the best approach to health insurance.  Let's not forget that we have but a single goal regardless of who you voted for.  We all want to know that when we or a loved one gets sick, we have access to proper care without the fear of going bankrupt.





No comments:

Post a Comment