Green Party’s Goals for Better Healthcare
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Party politics typically means pitting Republicans and Democrats against each other to talk about how to best fix American society within a narrow scope. The two major parties represent only the center in terms of political beliefs, and their arguments typically are over shades of grey. Such is the case with the healthcare reform now in litigation.
One of the central beliefs of the national Green Party is that universal healthcare, also called a single-payer system, is the best option. Universal healthcare means that the government acts as the insurer, negotiating with doctors and making payments and medical determinations in the way that insurance companies do now.
The Green Party belief is that society would benefit from overall lower healthcare costs, even if taxes increased to pay for this service. Though universal healthcare didn’t pass in the 2009 healthcare reform bill, there are other issues that the Greens support related to healthcare.
The Green Party supports the “Manhattan Project,” a series of HIV/AIDS-related ideas, including increased funding for research on HIV/AIDS and the care of people living with AIDS. The Manhattan Project also calls for needle-sharing programs and for low-cost medications to be made available.
The only place where the politics of the Green Party aligned enough with the major parties was in the belief that healthcare is a human right. The general belief of the Green Party is that all people should have access to proper healthcare, which means that there are no people turned away from coverage because of a pre-existing condition. The new healthcare reform law will require insurers to begin to accept patients with a variety of conditions that previously led to denied coverage.
The Green Party’s goals with regard to medical rights are to make society better by ensuring that healthcare benefits are equally accessible and affordable for everyone.
Helping Green Party Candidates Succeed
Helping a Green Party candidate get elected in a local or state election requires a savvy understanding of the Green Party’s principles and political campaigning. Because Green Party candidates are painted as the “other” in elections, campaigners must determine the best ways to make the Green Party candidates looks like qualified, respectable candidates to avoid the stigma that accompanies third-party candidates in much of the United States.
Stick with the standards that candidates from other parties use in campaign information. Provide a basic background, including education and work experience as well as one sentence about the candidate’s personal life. Use both printed literature and social networking to reach people. Though Green Party candidates believe in environmental sustainability, having a limited amount of literature available will help attract some more mainstream voters. Just be conscientious about what you print.
Harness the power of the internet! One of the disadvantages of being a third-party candidate is lack of funding compared to Democrats and Republicans. Politics is, at its core, about being able to reach voters. Facebook, Twitter, and candidate websites are easy, free (or inexpensive) ways to reach thousands of voters. Find a young, enthusiastic campaign volunteer who understands how to leverage these networking tools and make the most of them.
Push for inclusion in debates. If you think the local chamber of commerce, a frequent host in local elections, won’t include you, then begin to approach nonprofits or business owners who you think may be sympathetic to the idea of including all candidates. Ask these people to sponsor alternative debates or to push for the main debates to include all candidates.
Being confident about your right to participate in local election discussions and knowing how to use the benefits you have will help improve your chances of getting elected as a third-party candidate.
