Is it Monday already?  If it is, then it must be time for another chapter of our regular MONDAY MUSINGS.  It has been a busy weekend with lots of news stories to digest, but one story really caught my interest.  The important story that I want to discuss concerns the comments made by Democratic Senator on CBS’ Face the Nation program yesterday.  According to the story in the Hill, Schumer stated “ The healthcare reform bill that emerges from Congress this year will include a government-run public health insurance option, regardless of the bipartisan negotiations seeking a compromise in the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday.
‘ “Make no mistake about it, the president is for this strongly. There will be a public option in the final bill,” Schumer said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” ‘
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/schumer-promises-public-option-in-healthcare-bill-2009-07-05.html.  If Schumer is correct, that is very good news and should help soothe the anxiety over the Republican and industry attempts to defeat the Public Option.  The Republicans have called a public option a “deal breaker”.  Of course, my first question is why are we concerned with what the Republicans want in this bill?  When did the Republicans cooperate with the Democrats in the 12 years that they had control of Congress?  The answer is a big Never!  I do not believe that the Republicans have any concern about the Health Care crisis that we have in this country.  They are only concerned with their corporate contributors who are paying lobbyists millions to defeat the public option.  ” ……. a record-breaking influence campaign by the health-care industry, which is spending more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying in the current fight, according to disclosure records. And even in a city where lobbying is a part of life, the scale of the effort has drawn attention. For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million. ” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/05/AR2009070502770.html?wprss=rss_politics.  Those are amazing numbers!  Over $1.4 million dollars Per Day are being spent to lobby against the idea that all Americans deserve affordable health care.  With that kind of intense lobbying against them, the Democrats should concern themselves with keeping their own members in line and tell the Republicans that if you want a public option, we welcome your support.  If the Republicans don’t want a public option, we do not need their support.  If these “Republicants” don’t want what is best for America, let them vote against the bill that has a true public option in it.  Then let them tell their constituents why they voted against affordable health care for all!  One more reason to keep the Republicans out of the mix is that they will try to amend it to prevent abortions from being available to all women who need them.  According to this Think Progress article, http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/07/06/abortion-sfc/, the Senate committee responsible for producing a health care bill is actually considering refusing abortion coverage in order to garner more Republican support.  “From Raising Women’s Voices:The Senate Finance Committee has been writing a health care reform bill and struggling to create legislation that will have bipartisan support. Chairman Max Baucus considered several compromises to win Republican support, so they can claim it is bipartisan legislation. One of these potential compromises comes in the form of an abortion exclusion, which would prevent abortion services from being covered by some or all insurance plans in the Health Insurance Exchange.  We fear that members of the Senate Finance Committee are considering such a compromise.”  

This kind of so-called compromise would be a sell-out to the Radical Religious Right and harm women across the country.  Without the same coverage that the vast majority of health care plans now provide to women, the bill would not be acceptable.   Let’s make sure that your Representative and your Senators know that you demand a true public option that includes NO compromises that take away coverage.  This bill could be the most important piece of legislation for Obama’s presidency.  Get busy and call your Congressperson and your Senators and let them know what the Majority wants and needs.  Our health depends on it!