Today, we celebrate the amazing life and legacy of a minister who went far beyond his call to organize the movement that challenged the longstanding, paralyzing racial divide in our society. Dr. Martin Luther King’s heroic accomplishments serve as a reminder that each of us can shape change in this country, and his dream echoes as strongly today as it did in the shadow of Lincoln nearly 50 years ago. On that day, Dr. King taught every American that our separate ambitions unite in one shared dream – but that real change must be made in order to live up to our Declaration of Independence, in which "all men are created equal" and where "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are guaranteed for all.
There are powerful parallels between the events and mood of our country surrounding the 1964 Civil Rights act and the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Passed in a divided America, the Civil Rights Act faced public criticism and bitter propaganda – contradicting the common desire of public servants to act in the best interest of our nation and its citizens. Critics today have labeled health care reform as government intrusion on individual rights; similarly, the Civil Rights Act was once thought to jeopardize freedom through government-enforced regulations.
Thanks to the sacrifices made by Dr. King and other leaders of the civil rights movement, our country no longer aligns race with opportunity. And now, more than ever, Congress has the responsibility to eliminate another barrier to opportunity: access to affordable health care. Progress was made with Medicaid for our nation’s poor and Medicare for our nation’s seniors, but the middle class was largely ignored – violating the equal opportunity principles upon which our country was founded. With the passage of health care reform, this oversight was remedied.
By seeking to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week, the Republican House majority plans to:
- Strip 35,500 Ohioans under the age of 26 of their insurance coverage through family health plans;
- Reinstate lifetime limits for nearly 6.7 million Ohio residents – allowing insurance companies to limit the provision of health care;
- Legalize the cancellation of health coverage following an accident or illness, leaving 533,000 Ohioans at risk of losing their insurance just when they need it most;
- Eliminate the coverage of recommended preventive services, like mammograms and flu shots, without cost-sharing
- Withdraw funds from 156 Ohio employers who are participating in the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program <http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/retirement/index.html> .
- More than 1.8 million seniors in Ohio who have Medicare coverage would be forced to pay a co-pay to receive important preventive services, like mammograms and colonoscopies.
- 109,102 on Medicare Would See Significantly Higher Prescription Drug Costs: In Ohio, 109,102 Medicare beneficiaries received a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate to help pay for prescription drugs in the "donut hole" coverage gap in 2010. Medicare beneficiaries who fall into the "donut hole" in 2011 will be eligible for 50 percent discounts on covered brand name
prescription drugs. Without the law, the burden of high prescription drug costs would hurt millions of Medicare beneficiaries across the country.
This Congress has a responsibility to uphold the principles of our Founding Fathers, and should barriers exist between our constituents and the guarantees provided by our Constitution and Bill of Rights, we must utilize all of our resources to break down those barriers. Health care reform transcends politics and reflects the character of our country. Members of Congress have a moral obligation to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable care. Dr. King once said that, "of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." This week, let us all invoke his spirit as we call for continued progress towards understanding, equity, and justice.