Philadelphians love Ed Rendell- and he loves us back, even though, like a cheating lover, he is rarely faithful.

In yesterday’s Inquirer however, he went too far for me. Governor Rendell announced that the strike is having an adverse effect on SEPTA’s chance at dedicated state funding. He said that SEPTA workers and management both should have to pay health care co-pays as a compromise to end the strike quickly so that the dedicated funding issue can stay alive.

Say what?

The strike is happening for only two reasons, one of which is the lack of dedicated funding from the state. And the other is the increase in the cost of healthcare in the state (something else that the Governor’s office could have a much more active role in regulating).

So, how can Rendell reasonably expect both management and the union to just sit down and shut up now when he's the one who needs to get to work?

Click "read more" below to find out

There are almost one million Pennsylvanians without healthcare today, over half of who are children. Beyond that group is a hidden statistic: people who have access to healthcare but whose co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses cost more than they can reasonably afford.

A study sponsored by Families USA last year found that healthcare costs were outpacing wage growth for Pennsylvania workers. Cuts to Medicaid at the federal level will only make the problem worse. And, I think we all know that families will be forced to pay for rent, utilities, and food before spending more money on healtcare.

So, why would the Governor want to add SEPTA workers to the growing number of Pensylvanians who caffors to pay for healthcare when they need it? Why would the Governor of our state want one more Pennsylvanian to pay more for healthcare costs?

Shouldn’t his goal be to get LESS of us to being paying out of pocket for healthcare?

Healthcare should be regulated industry, like a public utility, that is made accessible at a reasonable price to everyone. Governor Rendell could be doing a lot more to solve this problem. He could start by putting more money into the adultBasic program which provides low-cost healthcare to the working poor. He could also do something about the millions of dollars in surplus the state's four Blue Crosses hold in reserve.

Similarly, SEPTA and all public transit agencies across the state should be fairly funded, on par with the billions of dollars pumped into roads and highways, so that there never need be a strike about cost containment for the sake of service maintenance again.

The union is now willing to pay some additional co-pay for healthcare co-pays if management does the same. This is a neat sounding solution, but the person who makes $40,000 a year to support a family or four versus the managerial staff earning $100,000 a year is still getting royally screwed by paying additional co-pays.

Supporting this plan is a lot like supporting flat taxation because it seems “fairer.” It is not fair when one group pays a much larger percentage of their income over another for access to the same service.

And, as I have said before, this isn’t just about SEPTA. If Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor, a darling of Philadelphians, is supporting a regressive stance on healthcare costs for SEPTA workers, what chance do the rest of us without insurance or who pay out of pocket for insurance now stand in the effort to improve our lot?

Please email (click here) or call him at (717) 787-2500 Governor Rendell to express your outrage with his stance on healthcare. And remind him that if he wanted to, he really could ride to the rescue in Philadelphia with a pot of money to solve the SEPTA healthcare crisis and eventually to solve all of our crises with healthcare if he so chose.