What you can do about health-care reform

Are you tired of it yet? You know, all the talk about health-care reform. It's hard to escape the front page reports, blogs, TV and talk radio commentary. The topic has appeared on this page every day for more than a week.

So much for August being a slow news month.

Members of Congress are fanning out across the country to find out what their constituents think as they consider their votes on what amounts to one-sixth of U.S. spending. After the this week's events, it might seem difficult to get past the rhetoric and rancor.

If you have the urge to tune out, we ask you to listen up.

Our leaders' actions will affect possibly every person in America, some profoundly. Maybe you can't afford insurance, or your premiums have doubled or tripled in just a few years. Or perhaps someone you know has had a home foreclosed because of unpaid medical bills. Or a friend wants to switch jobs but can't because of a pre-existing medical condition.

There are people who cannot fulfill a dream of starting a business because insuring their families or employees would cost too much. And there are laid-off workers who are watching the clock tick on their coverage.

Now it is quite possible things will change - with or without your input.

A recent focus group of citizens from several suburbs hosted by Buffalo Grove Village President Elliott Hartstein showed that, by far, cost was their top health-care concern. But underlying the multifaceted debate is the question of how much government should be involved in our lives. That often leads to terrifying talk of huge tax increases, health-care rationing and socialized medicine.

It's no wonder emotions boiled over at Sen. Arlen Specter's town hall discussion Tuesday.

More than ever a rational, meaningful dialogue is needed. Don't let the complexity of the issue deter you. Be aware of, but not a victim of, the sideshows, the bipartisan chatter, the rumors. So far no one has proposed an end to Medicare or private insurance.

Misinformation will continue to abound. At a forum Wednesday in Naperville, guest speaker U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, a Hinsdale Republican, distributed a flier stating the Democrats' proposal will require counseling of seniors that might encourage those who are seriously ill to "give up." Later, she admitted to Politics & Projects Editor Joseph Ryan "that was a little inflammatory."

It's a reminder to us all to learn the facts, and then join the dialogue. E-mail a member of Congress. (Two of our area's Democrats - U.S. Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster - still are weighing their positions.) Attend a rally or meeting. Keeping it polite will create an atmosphere where democracy thrives best. It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

The endeavor is ambitious, and we cannot afford to lose this opportunity for change. Health-care reform is not inevitable. It's needed, and now is the time. Make sure you are part of the debate.