Health Reform Wars Heat Up in NM, US Labor

Split tactics for health reform are taking shape once again in NM's health reform movement and the US Labor movement, with supporters of maintaining the private insurance scheme on one hand and proponents of overhauling healthcare financing toward a "single-payer" mechanism, like Medicare, on the other.

In NM, the Health Security Campaign once again introduced the Health Security Act yesterday, this time to a crowd of standing-room only supporters and reporters. NM's other health reform group, Health Action NM, does not support the HSA and instead is pushing an independent health authority bill, among others, that they say will move the debate forward toward increased access in NM.

Time will tell if their authority bill can stand up to Gov. Richardson's new idea, and if either authority structures will do what we need in NM: control costs and cover everyone NOW.

On the national scene, HR 676 - expanded Medicare for All - has been introduced and is gaining sponsorships without the support of the AFL-CIO or SEIU, who prefer a piecemeal approach that maintains a primary role for private insurers. Who knew our "progressive" unions would one day play this role? Wow. I feel old.

Diverse opinions about political strategy can be useful to social change movements. But is this parallel strategy in NM and nationally helpful to securing universal and affordable access to all, or is it a sign of disorganized non-consensual rolling-over to Big Insurance?

Maybe, if we're lucky, it's a sign of grassroots revolt from within each movement. Time will tell.