Gray Column: Health care reform is about who you trust

If you want good television drama don’t watch the usual prime time channels. Instead, just tune into C-SPAN for a health care town hall meeting. I watched one in particular — that of Congressman Gerry
Connolly who represents much of our area. Fortunately, that town hall meeting was relatively quiet, albeit it took place in a retirement community.

But as for other meetings around the country, things weren’t so civil. In fact many people were downright angry with the president’s health care reform plan and expressed that anger verbally.

But President Obama shouldn’t take the screaming and hollering at town hall meetings personally.

The reality is people these days are just angry. Health care is just the platform where that anger is being played out.

People are angry because the economy hasn’t turned around.

They’re angry because their 401(k) is now just a k.

And then there are those special few who are well … angry all the time.

But behind all the screaming and hollering going on at the town hall meetings there is a deeper issue than anger.

That issue is —people don’t trust the government to solve any problems to include health care.

Consider a recent poll done by Rasmussen Report, a nonpartisan media company that distributes political polling.

According to their latest poll results, 54 percent of Americans say the best option is for Congress not to pass health care reform this year.

However, at the same time 72 percent of likely voters said they see health care as a very important issue that needs to be addressed.

Basically what these people are saying is: “We think health care is important; we just don’t want you (The White House and Congress) handling it.”

Why so much distrust? I say consider the history.

Since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, every president and numerous members of Congress have talked about health care reform or attempted it. The most famous of these attempts came
under President Clinton.

However, the only thing to show for 45 years worth of talk and attempts is a blame game.

Democrats and Republicans exchanged political punches hoping to score points with you and me on who cares the most about our health. In the end, nothing got resolved.

Meanwhile, people fortunate enough to have health care insurance saw their premiums rise and the 47 million uninsured and 25 million underinsured Americans were left hoping and praying they or their
loved ones didn’t get sick.

In the end, voters said, “The heck with it; I don’t trust any of you.” That distrust is now displayed through anger, which brings us to the emotions we have seen at recent town hall meetings.

Now along comes another president telling us to trust him because he can get health care reform done. Pardon us all if maybe we are a little cynical or distrustful.

So what needs to happen to bring the trust back? It’s simple: Pass health care reform this year. Not only that, but pass a bill that some Republicans are willing to sign on to.

Obviously that means some changes to the president’s current reform proposal. Perhaps some changes to what a public plan would look like might help. The president has shown some interest and
flexibility in making changes.

Either way, health care reform is the next best way to get the trust back between the government and its people.

Call me naïve, but I would love to see a health care bill being signed into law at the White House with a bipartisan representation of House and Senate members each with their political fingerprints on the
bill.

Yes that would take a lot of negotiating, finagling and humility but the payoff would be worth it — a health care system that works and a government that works as well.

What do you think? Do you trust the president and Congress to pass health care reform this year?

Davon Gray works in Washington, D.C., and resides in Woodbridge. Contact him at davongray@verizon.net.