- Sep 27, 2005
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By Nathan Newman - July 23, 2009, 2:34PM
Even as the media highlighted a few governors concerns about health reform, hundreds of state legislators from across the nation were gathered in Philadelphia this week and today collectively endorsed federal health reform including a public health insurance option and other key reforms to expand coverage, rein in costs and expand choice for consumers.
By a vote of thirty-eight states to eleven (with a few abstaining), the National Conference of State Legislatures endorsed the proposed resolution (see http://progressivestates.org/ncsl09/healthpolicyrecommendations.pdf for details). It was a hotly debated issue throughout the week as committees met multiple times with a long debate, but in the end the vote was overwhelming in support for moving forward on real health care reform.
The vote followed months of organizing by progressive state legislators, unions, community groups and others in mobilizing state by state. Progressive States Network had worked with allies to get over 800 state legislators to endorse many of the principles endorsed by NCSL in today's vote.
State legislators are the ones dealing day-to-day with the budget shortfalls and crushing costs of health care for their budgets, so having them collectively endorse health care reform as critical for the nation and the states emphasizes how reform, including reforms like a public option, is being demanded by those outside the partisan gridlock of Washington, D.C.
So a pretty large victory for progressives today on the road to getting federal health care reform this year.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.co...ively_support_public_option_and_othe/?ref=fpd
Even as the media highlighted a few governors concerns about health reform, hundreds of state legislators from across the nation were gathered in Philadelphia this week and today collectively endorsed federal health reform including a public health insurance option and other key reforms to expand coverage, rein in costs and expand choice for consumers.
By a vote of thirty-eight states to eleven (with a few abstaining), the National Conference of State Legislatures endorsed the proposed resolution (see http://progressivestates.org/ncsl09/healthpolicyrecommendations.pdf for details). It was a hotly debated issue throughout the week as committees met multiple times with a long debate, but in the end the vote was overwhelming in support for moving forward on real health care reform.
The vote followed months of organizing by progressive state legislators, unions, community groups and others in mobilizing state by state. Progressive States Network had worked with allies to get over 800 state legislators to endorse many of the principles endorsed by NCSL in today's vote.
State legislators are the ones dealing day-to-day with the budget shortfalls and crushing costs of health care for their budgets, so having them collectively endorse health care reform as critical for the nation and the states emphasizes how reform, including reforms like a public option, is being demanded by those outside the partisan gridlock of Washington, D.C.
So a pretty large victory for progressives today on the road to getting federal health care reform this year.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.co...ively_support_public_option_and_othe/?ref=fpd
