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Deepak Bhargava
Center for Community Change Executive Director
The key to turning around the health care situation for low-income people has got to be exercising collective power at the ballot box.
Q: Is it possible for communities to collectively improve their health care?
Well, I think you're asking exactly the right question. The political and social context for health care has been dramatically changing over the last few years. We've got forty-five million Americans now without health insurance. That's four million more than we had when President Bush first took office. We've got corporations radically changing the equation of the workplace so that working people are losing access to health care or paying more for it.
Q: Nobody in Beverly Hills has to collectively improve the health of their community. Why does the responsibility always fall on poor communities?
Well, unfortunately, the sad reality is that this all comes down to a question of power. Who's got it and who exercises it? So in an ideal world, we would have a rational national health care system to provide good quality health care to every American regardless of their income or regardless of their race. But we know, in order to get to that place, we're going to have to see citizens mobilize just like they've mobilized for voting rights and education and basic democratic rights.
Q: What can the collective do to improve the health of these persons who are socially, politically, culturally and economically disenfranchised?
Well, individually, we can't do very much. Together and collectively, we can organize the demand that policy makers at every level of government take responsibility for what should be a right and a public good, good decent health care. So that means members of Congress saying don't cut these public programs like Medicaid. Expand them and ensure that every kid, parent and adult in this country has coverage.
Deepak Bhargava is executive director of the Center for Community Change, a 35-year-old nonprofit advocacy group and think tank. He's worked on numerous public policy issues, including housing and health.
Related Episode
Recommended Web Sites
Community Health Councils work to increase health care access for uninsured and underserved populations.
Find out how ACORN tries to achieve affordable health care for all.
Learn how to change public policies and improve your community at The Center for Community Change.
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Published: September 15, 2005
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