The Agony & The Irony: Ohio’s GOP Retreads and the Same ‘Ol

When it comes to health care reform, Portman, DeWine either clueless or looking out for big business

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman’s first act representing the people of Ohio: drop a bill to repeal health care reform. Mike DeWine’s first act upon becoming Ohio Attorney General: join the band of corporate Republican AGs around the country to challenge health care reform. To add irony to insult, DeWine’s chauffered car hit a bicyclist in downtown Columbus the other day and the guy initially refused treatment because he doesn’t have health insurance.

This is Mike Dewine’s and Rob Portman’s America.

Has there ever been a time in American history when so many people voted against their interests as last November when these two former officeholders were elected? America has been duped; worse yet, Americans have allowed themselves to be duped.

I have to believe most average Americans – neither rich nor poor – have encountered the absolute economic anomaly that has become our system of health care. It could (and should) be said that since we are human beings and if we have the ability to cure disease and ease physical and mental suffering we should do it for everyone in society at some sort of basic level. It seems crass in a civilized society that we cannot band together to ensure that our fellows’ basic health could be the reason for instant financial ruin. It is patently unfair that one segment of our larger economy grows unchecked and sucks the resources out of other economic activities. How many small business people out there have had decisions about how to allocate resources or whether or not to expand depend upon how much their health care costs would rise that year?

Enter President Barack Obama. Where other presidents and members of Congress had tried and failed he shepherded a health care reform law through Congress that wasn’t nearly enough for the left and had the right crying socialism. As is usually the case, neither extreme was correct and the ball was finally moved down the field regarding out of control health care costs and the unfair practices of insurers. Hell, the insurance companies had more sway in the final legislation than probably any other interest group.

Ohio and many other places, in a fit of electoral pique, lost their senses and sent a bunch of folks to Congress who make claims about freedom and the free market but are bought and paid for by the same corporate interests that already rule Washington. That’s where DeWine and Portman come in. Joe and Jane Ohio, whether they have jobs or not, seem to be under the sway of those who proclaim the end is upon us and despite every bit of evidence and fact to the contrary, the only way out is to put the same people into office who led us down this road to ruin. We end up with the likes of Portman and DeWine taking actions against health care reform that have nothing to do with working people and everything to do with the corporate and financial interests who finance their never-ending political campaigns.

Part of the Portman-DeWine argument against health care reform revolves around the right wing’s twisted definition of freedom. Freedom appeals to people. Think about this, though. Is there any other economic factor short of whether or not you are employed that has a greater influence on your life choices than health care costs? If you are wealthy, no. The larger your business, probably the less health care costs matter, they are just spread among employees or passed on to the consumer. I wonder how many budding entrepreneurs are out there who can’t make their move because they are chained to the health care coverage their employer offers them. Is that freedom? Is a young couple whose troubled delivery of their first child saddled with tens of thousands of unpaid hospital bills free?

Politicians like Mike DeWine and Rob Portman don’t tell us the truth about why they are against health care reform. The truth about their position has more to do with the fact that they are bought and paid for by health insurers. They cloak it in freedom and the free market and you buy it, you idiot. Do you think you even operate in the same marketplace as United Health Care or Aetna? You. Idiot.

Irony of ironies, the guy who runs his bike into Mike DeWine’s moving car doesn’t have health insurance so he doesn’t go get checked out. I’ll say this for DeWine, he took responsibility in so much as he got the fellow the DeWine family physician and picked up the bill for a check-up.

As long as every uninsured American’s mishaps and health misfortunes involve Mike DeWine and his family doc, we’ll achieve a rational system for delivering health care in this country.