Doing Away With Double Standards
Local state rep. calls for affordable health care
By James Walling
Selflessness is a rare quality in a politician. Compassion
and understanding are rarer still. Based on recent developments, it would seem
as though state Rep. Jim Moeller (D-Vancouver) possesses all three. Then again,
maybe it’s all just for show.
Moeller has introduced legislation that would eliminate the favorable group-rate health insurance that our esteemed state legislators currently enjoy.
“I did a quick check on Google and found that it would cost me up to $600 a month for insurance,” Moeller stated in a recent press release.
Compare that to the nominally priced state coverage available to legislators and it’s easy to understand why Moeller senses a double standard.
“I don’t think we’ll seriously address universal health care here in the Legislature until we ourselves are required to participate in the scramble for affordable health care,” Moeller explained. “The middle class has to scramble like crazy. And I can’t even begin to know what an awful scramble it is for those folks who can only dream of moving up to the middle class.”
It stands to reason that practicing this sort of radical empathy might be considered somewhat quixotic and even a little dangerous. Where, after all, does one draw the line? What’s next for our legislators? Will opponents of local school levies be forced to pull their children out of school? Should champions of mandatory minimum sentences face the music for their own minor offenses and volunteer to spend excessive stints of time in prison without the benefit of judicial review?
Clearly, nothing of the sort is likely to occur anytime soon.
Correspondingly, the easiest criticism that can be levied against Moeller is the obvious fact that such overtures are unlikely to amount to much in the face of significant political opposition in Olympia on both sides of the aisle.
Moeller admits that his legislation has little chance of passing.
“I’m trying to make a point,” Moeller wrote in a recent email. “It will never get a hearing due to the fact that we have many members of our legislative family with medical conditions that would automatically screen them out of the private market.”
In fact, Moeller explained that he has no desire to put any of his fellow legislators in a jam.
“They [legislators] would obviously be opposed and it could possibly place some of them in a crisis for health care coverage. That’s not my intention and we won’t do that.”
As a piece of political theatre however, Moeller’s controversial bill is a bit less quixotic and a lot more interesting.
“Awareness has definitely been raised! Many legislators [Republicans and Democrats] have approached me stating that they couldn’t help but smile when they saw my proposal.”
The notion of stripping health insurance from state legislators is a fanciful one to be sure, and yet the handful of bills calling for improved patients’ rights currently up for consideration in Olympia (many of which are cosponsored by Moeller) are being debated in an atmosphere of greater empathy and understanding thanks to Moeller’s fanciful legislation. In other words, even if it’s all for show, it’s still a good show.
Whatever the efficacy of Moeller’s efforts will prove to be in the long run, he has at least managed to wipe the sneer of incredulity from many a legislator’s face regarding the plight of citizens lacking or paying dearly for health care in this state.
At the same time, he’s attempted to induce a wry grin of begrudging acknowledgement concerning the inadequacies of the current system from supporters and opponents alike of universal coverage options in the legislature.
I’m no lawmaker, Representative Moeller, but you sure got a grin out of me.
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