Not the First, Determined to Be the Last
President Obama just finished a historic address to a Joint Session of Congress.
He made a clear, compelling case for reform and laid out the elements of his plan.
At its core, the Obama plan has three goals: it provides more stability and security to Americans with insurance, it provides quality, affordable care to those who don’t, and it reins in the high costs of care currently crushing American families, businesses and our government itself.
“I am not the first President to take up this cause,” President Obama said, “but I am determined to be the last.” He made the moral case for reform. He talked about escalating, crushing costs. He talked about the insecurity millions of Americans deal with every day – one job change, accident or illness away from disaster.
He called for an end to unfair insurance industry practices: it will be against for law for insurance companies to deny coverage based on a pre-existing condition, cancel coverage when someone gets sick, or place an arbitrary cap on the coverage someone can receive. He called for a cap on the amount insurance companies can charge for out of pocket expenses, because no one should go broke when they get sick. He called for the establishment of a Health Insurance Exchange – where small businesses and individuals without coverage will be able to compare plans and access affordable coverage. And he called for the creation of a public insurance option, to make sure that people who don't have insurance or can't afford it, have access to an affordable choice.
Here’s an excerpt from his remarks. We’ll have a round up as coverage of the speech continues.
”…I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.
“Our collective failure to meet this challenge – year after year, decade after decade – has led us to a breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can’t get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can’t afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover.
"We are the only advanced democracy on Earth – the only wealthy nation – that allows such hardships for millions of its people. There are now more than thirty million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone.
"But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem of the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you’ll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won’t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day..."
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