C'mon, Dems; all together now

The House did it. The Senate can too -- if the Democracts can get it all together.

Progressives and feminists, please go ahead and scream that the House bill is "the biggest setback to women's reproductive rights in decades" and threaten not to vote for the bill if that stays in. Scream and get it over with.

And then let's compromise, starting with Obama's wise perspective:

"This is a health care bill; not an abortion bill."

He says we should not use health care reform to change the status quo of abortion laws. It should not be used either to provide funds for abortions that do not currently exist; nor should it remove coverage in private plans that people already have. And it does not. It does not forbid one single abortion or restrict abortions more than already on the books. It simply says the federal government cannot pay for them.

If you have private insurance that currently covers abortion, that will not change. Any public option could not include it, nor could federal subsidies be used for private plans that do so.

But this is only the House bill. The Senate bill is less restrictive. And there's always the conference committee to reconcile the bills.

I would prefer to have abortion covered, at least for those deemed medically appropriate. But, please, let's don't get bent out of shape about this and ruin the best chances to enact reform since Harry Truman first tried to get single-payer health coverage in the 1940's. Here are some of the benefits we can expect:

Another 36 million more people will be insured or become eligible for Medicaid.

There will be multiple ways to help control the costs of Medicare -- not by "taking away my Medicare" but by eliminating waste, excessive charges, subsidies to insurance companies, negotiating drug prices, etc.

It will eliminate Bush's subsidizing private insurers to prop up his Medicare Advantage boondoggle.

It eliminates the donut hole on Medicare prescription drug coverage, Bush's boondoggle for drug companies.

It finally allows Medicare to negotiate drugs prices, reversing another Bush boondoggle.

It introduces a public option that is inadequate but at least a start.

It stops insurance companies from denying coverage because of preexisting conditions and ends the loss of coverage for any reason except for fraud.

It provides funding to educate more doctors and nurses.

It introduces health prevention programs, pilot studies to improve care, etc.

Now think long and hard if you want to give up all that in order to have abortions paid for by insurance, which may not be enacted at all if you insist on it. Think creatively. Take all your lobbying money and create a national fund to pay for safe abortions for women whose health insurance won't cover it. Let's don't let this chance be lost.

Ralph