HR 2520

Since there is sparse to nil coverage on the Republican sponsored health care bill (yes there is one)-- in the interests of full disclosure I wanted to share with my readers. Please note the date on HR2520-- May 2009... This is not a new bill. I realize the Republicans have a minority in Congress but I believe the American people deserve to be presented with both HR2520 and HR3200:

HR 2520

And the aforementioned (in my most previous post) much more widely publicized Democratic bill:

HR 3200

Unfortunately due to my daughter's Christening and my parents upcoming visit I haven't had the time to continue reading HR3200 (as riveting as it is). I have skimmed over a summary of HR2520 and from what I've read thus far, HR2520 shifts much of the responsibility for health care reform to the individual state governments. Given some state governments this could be a good or bad thing. But the fact does remain that our country was founded with strong state governments and a weak federal government. I will concede that there are arguments both for and against perpetuating that model but that's a much more philsophically macro discussion for another time.

I'm also fed up with being portrayed as being against health care reform just because I'm against HR3200. Health care reform is most definitely needed. There are flaws in the system, I can't and won't even try to deny that. I believe THAT is the common ground that most of us Americans have. Most of us believe in the need for reform. The schism remains on what kind of reform and how that reform should be implemented. Should it be government driven or market driven? Should it be driven by the public sector or private sector? The Federal government or the state governments?

These are all valid questions worthy of discussion-- however a majority of our elected leaders in Congress would have us believe that it's HR3200 or the highway. We can take it or leave it. But if we leave it, that's it-- no other options for reform.