Rights vs. Privileges: The Loss of the Lion

The loss of Sen. Kennedy as a true legislative, political and social leader can not be over stated. I only hope that our elected leadership will go back and listen to or watch his many powerful speeches given on behalf of the disadvantaged and under-represented people of our country. Despite coming from a most privileged background, he committed every ounce of his ability and effort to helping to establish basic rights for every member of society. His bipartisan accomplishments in health care, including numerous improvements to the FDA and the establishment and re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) represented the tip of the iceberg compared to his hopes for establishing an essential right to affordable, high-quality health care for every American. He was not afraid to use his own personal experiences to advance this agenda. I am certain he would have encouraged the use of his untimely death to pass meaningful reform.

By Howard Forman  |  August 26, 2009; 11:51 AM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform , Leadership , Public policy
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