A Proxy Fight: "Health Care"



Lately, there has been increasing noise from the politicians about health care. At first I was heartened that we might as a society deal with our poor standing among developed nations in providing health care for our people. I am discouraged to see that the discussion taking shape is not about how to provide health care, but simply seeks to use that issue as a lever for other goals.

Here is how I see the battle shaping up: the corporatocracy which runs this country sees this as an opportunity to diminish the value of health care as a benefit of employment. Health care benefits had been something that labor had been willing to go to the mat for in collective bargaining. Diminish the value of those benefits, and you increase corporate profits and diminish the influence of organized labor at the same time.

Organized labor sees the same struggle. As I sift through various news sources, a recurring theme across the nation is the story of children dying because they couldn't get health care. One such story was in today's Washington Post. A similar story in today's Oregonian about a flawed testimonial case before the state legislature mentioned that the testimony was solicited by an advocacy group formed by organized labor. That story helped me start connecting the dots.

So, when a group of state governors met with President Bush this week to ask for an extension of a program that provided health care to children, he was silent on the issue of health care for children. He did what he does best -- he stuck doggedly to his script about how he would like to tax employer provided health benefits, so that there is a "level playing field" between those who have employer provided health benefits and those who don't.

The problem is, that is not where the playing field is. The playing field is between business and labor, and the game is an attempt to get rid of the burden of providing those benefits and to diminish the power of labor at the same time. This game does not have the provision of health care as its goal at all. And this playing field becomes less level with every passing day.

Posted: Wed - February 28, 2007 at 06:36 PM        

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