Conversation with Representative Dennis Kucinich on Health Care Reform

Patch and Dennis

A few weeks ago Susan Parenti and I met with Dennis Kucinich, US representative from Ohio. For us, Dennis has been a hero: a stalwart for peace, justice, and health care for all.

I asked Dennis what he thought of the recent attempts on the national level for health care system reform. Dennis described them as a fiasco: legislation that would enable the health insurance companies to have a monopoly on the health care system—with the government only pitching in to subsidize those of us who couldn't afford to buy the mandated health insurance.

Dennis said he had opposed that legislation from the very beginning.

We talked about how to continue the work towards a desirable US health care system. We covered these questions:

What about single payer? Yes—Dennis and I have agreed that single payer is a necessary first step for all Americans to be covered. (See the video from our July 2009 press conference.) Dennis said that his plan is to make a breakthrough for single payer on the state level.

How to control rising health care insurance costs? Dennis told us that in the House the speaker is going to introduce legislation to remove the antitrust exemption that health insurance corporations have had.

What’s the role for new models of health care on the local level? Susan and I spoke about our Institute’s work to build our model community hospital, Gesundheit, in rural West Virginia, which would run on 10% of national average. Kucinich was enthusiastic. He recommended a strategy for health care system reform in 2010 “to work from the inside, out”: creating health care delivery models on the local level that would then be brought to state and national attention.

We've got to roll up our sleeves and continue the work!