Obama Nominates a Fighter for Low-income Americans to Be Surgeon General
Healthcare reform is obviously a critical issue for low-income Americans, and as the nation۪s “top doctor,” the Surgeon General has an important role in moving reform forward. OOTS thinks it is significant that President Obama has picked a nominee with both expertise and a stirring personal record of caring for those in need.
Regina Benjamin, a doctor in rural Alabama, won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 2008 for her work founding and supporting a health clinic in a Gulf Coast fishing village. Benjamin maxed out her own personal credit keeping the clinic going after two hurricanes (Georges and Katrina) and a devastating fire. Benjamin has promised to bring her personal caring and devotion to the fight for more accessible healthcare for all.
In President Obama۪s words, Benjamin۪s commitment to her patients should serve as an example to Congress as it takes on healthcare reform. Obama noted that “When Hurricane Katrina destroyed (her clinic) again and left most of her town homeless, she mortgaged her house and maxed out her credit cards to rebuild that clinic for a second time.” He added that in Congress and the Administration “we don’t have to deal with hurricanes, we don’t have to deal with floods and we don’t have to deal with fires. All we have to do is pass a bill.”
Here at Out of the Spotlight, we۪re glad to see that President Obama۪s nominee for one of the most important posts in healthcare reform has shown a strong commitment to those who need help most.
Posted by Mike
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Here at “Out of the Spotlight” we love rumors and gossip (at least of the non-malicious type), so if you hear names that you think we should pay attention to, drop us a line at either mlaracy@aecf.org or watersboots@hotmail.com. We۪ll post new names as we get em! Of course, OOTS dishes on much more than who might be on the dream team. Check out “Out of the Spotlight” for our take on behind-the-scenes policy sparring, the twists and turns of political plans, and more. Contributions welcome!