A Victory for Health Care!

The historic passage of Health Care Reform, extending coverage to 32 million and eliminating the worst practices of the insurance industries, is not just the culmination of the last 15 months of work in Congress. The idea of comprehensive health care coverage has been sought since the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt and, although this is certainly not the end of this particular struggle, it certainly marks a turning point. In the midst of a politically polarized atmosphere and on top of the worst economic crises in recent memory, the passage of this bill is nothing short of remarkable.

Almost immediately, this legislation will begin making a difference for families, from tax cuts to small businesses to addressing the very real inequities states like Oregon receive through an outdated Medicare formula. It also begins to address the federal deficit, over the long term reducing it by over a trillion dollars.

There is more work to be done. There are improvements to the system that must be made to further contain costs, stimulate real competition, and cover even more Americans. But we have turned a new page and the most difficult of these struggles is now behind us. While the next generation of Americans will certainly look back at this moment and wonder why the fight was so difficult, why the decisions were so hard when the arguments were so clear, they will nonetheless be thankful for result and the future that was created for them.