Bold initiatives are needed to help us through our troubled times
By Ben Bright December 21, 2020
When Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021, he will inherit a country that is vastly different from the one that Donald Trump inherited four years ago. Between the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted almost every aspect of our daily lives, to the political morass at all levels of government, our great country is facing one of the most tumultuous times in its history.
When you add in the country’s political divisions, President Biden will have his hands full confronting these challenges and trying to pull the country together.
To meet these demands, Biden and the U.S. Congress must be willing to think outside the box. We need bold initiatives to help us through these troubling times, and we cannot continue the “same old, same old” that has become the calling card of our federal government. Our elected representatives need to set aside their differences and work to help all of their constituents, not just the ones with a “D” or an “R” beside their names. Or better yet, our representatives need to step away from the lobbyists and special-interest groups that seem to dominate the discussion, and use common sense in making decisions for the people of this country.
One issue that has been greatly influenced by special interests is the practice of surprise billing by medical providers. Often, patients do not realize that parts of their care may not be covered by their insurance company, leading to large out-of-pocket costs. These bills have risen to well over $600 on average, but often reach into the tens of thousands of dollars – outrageous amounts for individuals to pay.
Everyone agrees that this needs to end, but solutions are complicated. On one side are insurance companies, and on the other are groups representing doctors and physicians, but both are being driven by profits and not what is in the best interest of the populace, which is why the federal government needs to intervene.
The good news is that last week the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee, which includes Rep. Mike Doyle from Allegheny County, came to an agreement on a proposal to end the practice of surprise billing. While the agreement was unexpected and encouraging, it now has to make its way to a vote in both the House and the Senate. This has been a problem over the past four years, as the House has sent over 500 bills to the Senate, and the bills have languished on the desk of Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s majority leader. And while nothing is guaranteed, this bill actually has a chance to make it through to a successful vote on the Senate floor, since the chairman of the Senate HELP Committee is the soon-to-retire Lamar Alexander, a senator from Tennessee who is a close friend of McConnell’s. This might allow the bill to be brought to a vote, and it could stand as one of the few instances of McConnell working in Congress in a bipartisan, commonsense manner.
This level of bipartisanship has not been as apparent with the most recent stimulus package negotiations.
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, it’s past due for our representatives in Washington D.C., to come up with common sense plans to help individuals and small businesses. This seems like a no-brainer, but instead negotiations continue to be bogged down. The biggest hurdle seems to be the Republican insistence on businesses being given legal immunity from lawsuits for COVID-19 issues. It is understandable that companies should not have to worry about frivolous lawsuits during this time, but this is further delaying help to not only individuals, but also small businesses that desperately need federal assistance.
The U.S. Department of Labor has had the ability to require businesses to follow pandemic-related safety protocols. If they had done so, then businesses that have followed the guidelines would be safe from frivolous lawsuits that Republicans are so worried about. This is just another example of the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress failing to help people and businesses when they most need it.
Bold ideas that use common sense are what we need in the coming weeks and months, and recent legislation that has passed the Democratic-controlled House fit this description. One such bill is the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, which was approved by the House last month with bipartisan support. It would reauthorize national apprenticeship programs and create nearly 1 million apprenticeship opportunities. U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb also sponsored an amendment that would use veteran service organizations to raise awareness about these programs. Improving job training and increasing job opportunities for veterans are both issues that all of our elected officials should easily find common ground on, and will help places like Washington County create a skilled workforce to help attract workers and businesses alike.
Unfortunately, the Senate does not have a similar bill waiting to be approved, so any further action will have to wait until the next session of Congress in 2021.
Elections have consequences, not only in Washington D.C., but locally, too. Our elected officials have a tremendous responsibility to look out for the common good, and this is not an easy task. Congress will continue to be mired in gridlock as long as money is the determining factor in the support of legislation. Our representatives need to step away from the gridlock and breathe new life into our government. As former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson one said, “I choose bold. I choose action. I choose what is right for the people. I choose to make a difference.” This should be the motto for every elected official in our great country.
https://observer-reporter.com/opinion/op-eds/op-ed-bold-initiatives-are-needed-to-help-us-through-our-troubled-times/article_4fac7984-4083-11eb-ac0d-d7beea53c1a3.html
