President Obama recognized Monday in his speech in Philadelphia the doubters and critics who argue that now is not the moment for health insurance reform. He responded to their concerns by drawing from the words of Hillel, stating “My question to them is: When is the right time? If not now, when? If not us, who?”
Rabbi Hillel once said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” With all the hubbub in Washington around health insurance reform, it’s easy to lose sight of where we came from, and where we are going. Our health system is failing; 46 million Americans are uninsured and millions more are underinsured. We cannot wait, we cannot put this reform aside and we cannot give up. The cost of doing nothing to improve the status quo is too high.
As Jews, we are commanded to engage in tikkun olam – repair of the world. Few acts embody this principle more clearly than repair of our broken health insurance system. Health insurance in the United States suffers from a prolonged crisis: costs have skyrocketed to the point where we now spend $2 trillion on health care annually. We are also the only Western nation that does not ensure all its citizens have regular access to health care. This is a tragic spurning of Maimonides’ teachings: a renowned Jewish scholar, he taught that health care was the most important service a community can provide to its residents. And despite the clear problems we face, some would prefer we continue on the dangerous path we’ve pursued far too long. We are closer than we have ever been to passing comprehensive reform of the American health insurance system and we must sprint to the finish: the costs of health care threaten the financial well-being of millions of individuals and families and the long-term financial stability of our nation. Now is the time to enact meaningful change.
There are undoubtedly myriad details of a final bill to be considered, but the first step is for members of the House of Representatives to pass the Senate bill in order for a final bill to come about through reconciliation or other means. Our Members of Congress must join and fight the battle for reform now. Their votes are critical – and we need to remind them of their responsibility to us, the health care consumers they represent. You can contact your Members by email by filling out our action alert, or reach the Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-210-3678. The financial and moral cost of delay is unthinkable, and we must make clear to our Members of Congress that the moment to act is now.