What's Wrong With Democrats ?

America has a badly broken health care system. There are 40-50 million people without any health care insurance at all. Many millions more are in danger of losing their health insurance if they lose their job, or if their health care bills become too large. Nearly two-thirds of the bankruptcies in the country are due to medical costs the insurance companies refuse to pay.

It has become obvious to most Americans that the private insurance companies either will not or cannot solve the problem on their own. They are far too concerned with maximizing their profits to be worried about the health care of ordinary Americans.

One reason the voters put Democrats back into office in huge numbers last year, was to do something about the broken health care system. And the public has not changed their minds since then. Consider the results of a new NY Times / CBS News poll. It clearly shows the people want sweeping reforms to the health care system, and one of the changes they want is the creation of a public health insurance option. Here are the poll numbers:

Do you favor a government-run health insurance program?
YES..........72%
NO..........20%

Breakdown by party of those favoring a government-run program.
DEMOCRATS..........87%
INDEPENDENTS..........73%
REPUBLICANS..........50%

Would you be willing to pay higher taxes so all Americans can have health insurance they can't lose no matter what?
YES..........57%
NO..........37%

Do you think government would do a better or worse job than private companies in providing medical coverage?
BETTER...........50%
WORSE..........34%
SAME..........2%
NO OPINION..........14%

With numbers like these, I would think Democrats would be eager to pass sweeping changes to American health care, including creating a public government-run health care option -- something similar to Medicare for all ages. With the American people showing this kind of support, it wouldn't even take any political courage (something the Democrats seem to be short of).

And yet, with each passing day we seem to be getting further and further from real health insurance reform. Some Democrats are now talking about not doing a public option at all, but instead creating insurance co-ops and forcing all Americans to buy private insurance. Instead of fixing the current problems, this would do nothing but give the giant private insurances a huge payday.

Even as solid a Democrat as Diane Feinstein (D-California) believes the president may not have enough votes for a sweeping overhaul of the system. Worse yet, she is even threatening to vote against the president herself!

I am left to wonder just what the hell is wrong with Congressional Democrats? How can they fail to see the crises in the current health care system? We know the Republicans have been bought and paid for by the insurance lobbies. Have they also now bought enough Democrats to kill reform?

With 72% of the people supporting reform with a government-run option, if the Democrats cannot act now, when will they?