Optimism is warranted, I think

Firstly, I obviously am not taking part of the boycott. I think the date was ill-chosen for numerous reasons, and windypoint has a valid point in that a day is not enough. Make it a week or a month, and maybe then they will take notice. But how many people are willing to give up LJ for more than a day?


Secondly...

To quote the minutes of the last Healthcare Reform meeting:

Of great interest is a NH Medical Society survey (conducted by UNH) which had surprising results:

"A recent survey of New Hampshire doctors regarding the United States health care system suggest that many are ready for change. The survey found that 81% of responding physicians agree that healthcare should be available to all citizens as part of the social contract, a right similar to basic education, police and fire protection, with 94% of primary care doctors endorsing this view. Two thirds of New Hampshire doctors, including 81% of primary care clinicians, indicated they "would favor a simplified payor system in which public funds, collected through taxes, were used to pay directly for services to meet the basic healthcare needs of citizens."  Only one third of physicians indicated support for an employer based system or agreed that "the free market system is the best way to create a high quality, equitable, affordable and accessible healthcare system".

The survey results are going to be published in two major medical journals.

Remembering that New Hampshire is traditionally a conservative state ("Live free or DIE, you Commie scum!")... Whee!  Nothing's going to change without the doctors' support.

And on that note, here's an open letter from the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP):

( America's health care system is failing. )