It’s clear, the cost of doing nothing will break our family and business budgets. As Senator Nelson heads back to DC, he can’t stop pushing for reform.
Our Nebraska based group, Change That Works, went to every townhall Senator Nelson held during the August recess. News reports accounted all of the people opposed to health reform. Occasionally the media reported on the Nebraskans who wanted reform.
What was missing in the reports were the key moments at every townhall where Senator Nelson stood strong for reform, where he explained that not passing reform is not an option.
VIDEO BELOW
Senator Nelson stated over and over again “premiums have gone up 79% in the last 7 years…that’s not sustainable.” Exactly, if we do nothing, if we keep the status quo, costs for individuals, families and businesses are not sustainable.
Senator Nelson went on to explain in the townhalls (and captured in the video below) that it’s the job of Congress to provide for the general welfare of the United States. He asked, “if we have a growing healthcare crisis, how is that not for the welfare of the United States?”
Senator Nelson is right, we have a healthcare crisis and it needs to be fixed. We need giant steps, not baby steps.
Let’s not confuse our praise for the Senator. We are proud of how Senator Nelson pushed back on myths during the townhalls and reiterated his support for reform. We are disappointed in today’s Lincoln Journal Star article to hear the word “incremental” from the Senator. That word usually indicates more of the status quo.
We want to see the same Senator who stood up in the townhalls to stand up for reform and stand up for Nebraskans when he is back in DC. It would of course be great if other Members of our delegation stood up for reform, but with their comments in townhalls and at 912 rallies, we unfortunately do not see any leadership from them any time soon.
Nebraskans across the state want to see leaders in Washington come to some common ground for some common good. We want action. We didn’t elect leaders to do nothing. Nebraskans are counting on Senator Nelson to be the one who reaches common ground for common good. We are looking to Senator Nelson to reform a very broken system for our families and businesses.
In every line and in every town we heard the same things. These words are coming from Nebraskans, not from ads paid by outsiders or talking points emailed to them the night before:
“It’s expensive when you have $2,000 injections every two or three days.”
“The bill was $60,000.”
“I work two jobs, I pay my taxes, I don’t have health insurance, I couldn’t afford it.”
“It was $56,000 to replace two little batteries.”
“Its either the mortgage or the insurance.”
At the start of every townhall, Senator Nelson pushed back on the myths circulating on the internet—from death panels to costs to immigration. Out of all the moments of the townhalls, Senators Nelson stood his ground the most when he pushed back on the new argument that is being pushed by groups--including AFP, Tea Party and 9/12 Project--that reforming healthcare is unconstitutional.
We need Senator Nelson to continue to stand as strong as he did in the townhalls.
If you agree that is time we seek some common ground for some common good, then please join us on our Facebook page Change That Works Nebraska and come to a neighborhood canvass to ensure we get health reform passed this year.
-jane fleming kleeb