Despite an overwhelming public mandate for reform, the Senate health care bill went from bad to worse. Conservative members of the Senate Democratic caucus like Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson were allowed to hold the entire process hostage and massively undermine the bill. Thanks in part to their sabotage, the Senate just passed a health care bill that isn't worth supporting.

The Senate bill fails in a number of ways.  The most prominent is its complete lack of a public option. Without any meaningful attempt to introduce competition into the health insurance industry, we'll be saddled with the same bad actors whose monopolistic practices have caused the health care crisis in the first place.

However, despite what many Washington pundits are saying, the Senate bill isn't the final chapter in the fight for health care reform. The bill passed in the Senate must be merged with House's health care bill. This merger in the House-Senate conference committee is the best place for us to push back against the weak Senate bill.   Progressives in the House must stand up for meaningful health care reform. It's now or never.

Tell your member of Congress and the House leadership not to rubber stamp the Senate's health care bill and to fight to make the bill stronger in the conference committee.