The President's Remarks to a Joint Session of Congress: "Stability and security for all Americans"
Posted by Jonah on September 9, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Tonight, President Obama spoke to a special joint session of Congress and the American people to outline his plan for health insurance reform. The core of his plan: provide more security and stability for people who have insurance, provide quality, affordable care to those who don't, and rein in skyrocketing costs that are crushing American families, businesses and the government itself.
"I am not the first President to take up this cause," the President explained, "but I am determined to be the last."
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.
During the past few months, the President remarked, "we have seen Washington at its best and its worst."
We have seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform. Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors’ groups and even drug companies – many of whom opposed reform in the past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about eighty percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been.
But what we have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government. Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.
Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care.
The plan that the President announced tonight is designed to meet three basic goals:
It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. It’s a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge – not just government and insurance companies, but employers and individuals. And it’s a plan that incorporates ideas from Senators and Congressmen; from Democrats and Republicans – and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election.
... an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange.
... It’s worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I’ve proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn’t be exaggerated – by the left, the right, or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it. The public option is only a means to that end – and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.
For example, some have suggested that that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others propose a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can’t find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need.
...This is the plan I’m proposing. It’s a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight – Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.
But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what’s in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.
Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true.
That is why we cannot fail.
...I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road – to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term.
But that’s not what the moment calls for. That’s not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it’s hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history’s test.
Comments (7) «
The president refers to his plan that he is proposing often but I have yet to see it in print or in a published pdf anywhere.
If this 'plan' actually exists, why is it so difficult to find?
What about Wilson are we pretending this didn,t happen. The DNC had better start getting some balls. Fast very fast.
What happened to Wilson are we pretending it never happened? The DNC better get some balls fast very fast or we will be looking in again,
JONAH HAVE YOU GOT A BRAIN IN YOUR HEAD. DOES THE NAME WILSON RING A BELL. WERE IS THE OUTRAGE? ARE WE A PARTY OF WIMPS? BRING DEAN BACK WE NEED A REAL LEADER.
HEALTH CARE DEBATE: New York Times ‘Public Option Fades From Health Debate’, Published: September 12, 2009
The ‘Times article reads, ‘Champions of the public plan said it could save money by using Medicare rates and fee schedules to pay hospitals and doctors…
…That is exactly what worries health care providers, who say Medicare pays them less than market rates paid by private insurers. And they have pressed their concerns on Capitol Hill with a small army of lobbyists.’
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I say that a public option premium price could be the competitive foreign auto price for the insurance industry’s premium price that kept American automakers from charging more for autos’ when they were going bankrupt. If enough people would chose the public option, insurance companies would have to compete with a public option’s lower premium price, in their hopes to maintain and compete for a majority of business. So, while I can appreciate the fiscal concerns of driving private premium charges and insurance companies out of business, to where then, the general taxpayers would be charged more for a public option, understand, they only way to get private insurance companies to drop their prices is to threaten their business life in order to get them to charge less. (The health industry has lowered the quality-of-life for American people, so why should we over-lobby for their business-life?)
As you might gather by reading this ‘Times article, health care providers have no intention of bringing down their prices with the public option’s lower pay to bring down their charges anyway, even though they say they are working with us on it. Well then, I guess, even if the public and the government decide against the public option their selves, most health care provider’s already claim that they vote to keep their charges up anyway and would probably use being paid less by some with the public option to charge other’s without the public option more. Same old thing, like health care providers have been doing for years, which has brought costs up.
Republican leaders deserve an ‘F’ for not recognizing the business intelligence that a public option would insert a competitive premium-price for insurers and for not working with the public option plan to try to make that price work somehow. For instance, beneficiaries, employers and the government of a public option could equally split paying the price for that premium, where general taxpayers and businesses would have a controlled say, as well as the government, as to how much ‘we’ would pay health providers.
Therefore, while I can appreciate the concerns of critics, Republican and Democratic constituents alike, that in a public option, the government would be paying for it all and supplementing private hoarding insurers, maybe we should take the time, like a year or two, to work on the cost of a public option. Why wait so long, you might ask? Some people and businesses could afford to pay more than others could for an insurance premium and Congress would need to take the time to carefully legislate a plan on who pays what percentage of a premium.
However, I appreciate the Obama Administration trying to get those without health care, currently cared for now and I am sure that everyone else appreciates that aspect of reform too.
IMMIGRATION & HEALTH CARE:
OUR PRESIDENT DID NOT COME TO ADDRESS CONGRESS TO TESTIFY TO THOSE WHO PERSECUTE IMMIGRANTS ABOUT THEIR NON-EXISTENT GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE.
OUR PRESIDENT DID NOT ‘HAVE’ TO SAY, BY REPUBLICAN DICTATING TERMS, THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, BY PREVIOUS LAW, GET CARE FROM HOSPITALS IN EMERGENCY HEALTH SITUATIONS BECAUSE OUR PRESIDENT WAS TALKING ABOUT THE CURRENT BILL BEFORE CONGRESS.
MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE WAITING TO GAIN CITIZENSHIP, AND THEY AND THEIR CHILDREN HAVE SUFFERED BOTH PHYSICALLY AND FINANCIALLY FROM NOT HAVING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, IF THAT PLEASES ANY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED NON-RELIGIOUS LIARS. BY EVERY WORLD RELIGION, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS.
OUR PRESIDENT AND THE HIS DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION DID NOT HAVE TO EXPLAIN, LIKE JESUS TO PILATE, THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING LOOKING AT A PLAN LATER ,THAT ALLOWS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO PAY FOR HEALTH CARE OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS.
OUR COUNTRY IS NOT NORTH KOREA, WHO HAS LITTLE EMERGENCY SERVICES AND PRACTICALLY NO HEALTH CARE WHERE PEOPLE SUFFER AND DIE IN THE STREETS, REGARDLESS OF HOW REPUBLICAN LEADERS MAKE OUR COUNTRY APPEAR TO BE.
I ASK THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO CONSIDER TAKING CONGRESSPERSON WILSON’S HEALTH CARE AWAY FROM HIM AS PUNISHMENT WITH A MORAL UNDERTAKING IN FRONT OF THE WORLD. MR. WILSON HAD HOSTILELY ADDRESSED THE PRESIDENT WITH HIS PITIFUL DESIRE TO MAKE SURE OTHERS DID NOT HAVE HEALTH CARE INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE OF MAKING SURE AMERICAN CITIZENS DID.
MAKE SURE THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN REMEMBERS THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR PRIVATE HEALTH CARE BY HIS HAVING TO PAY FOR HIS OWN PRIVATE HEATH CARE FROM NOW ON!
MAYBE HE, AND OTHERS, CAN REMEMBER NOT TO TRY TO JUSTIFY OR FINANCIALLY CAPITALIZE ON IGNORANT OUTBURSTS TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FROM NOW ON, AS WELL!
HE JOINED HIS PARTY’S PUBLIC-FLASHING LED PROTESTERS BECAUSE HE HAS NO OTHER PROFESSIONAL BRAINS TO OFFER HIS CONSTITUENTS.
I WANT HIM IMPEACHED AND REMOVED FROM OFFICE BY ORDER OF HIS STATE GOVERNMENT.
To spin off an old Bob Seager war song: $ 2 trillion plus $ 2 trillion is on my mind.
The U.S. GDP (Cost of Goods and Services Sold) in 2008 was $ 14.7 trillion dollars, regardless of the unemployment and the nation’s loss of manufacturing. I do not think that figure even includes the nation’s investment income.
If American business makes, at least, $ 10 trillion a year over the next ten years, even in a sluggish economy, that would equal $ 100 trillion dollars. So what is $ 1 trillion in ten years for a health care plan out of $ 100 trillion ten years?
You know, I do not think that some of the current Republican Party leaders are financially representing American business for their constituents properly, so I do not know if it is even wise to work with them on the cost of any plan anyway. (Some Republican leaders are acting as though we are the poorest nation on earth, teaching and allowing their constituents to think the nation and the taxpayers cannot afford anything right now.)
The nation’s 2008 Tax Revenue was about two-and-a half -trillion-dollars, where middle-class paid in about 30% of their income and America’s wealthiest and corporations paid in about 18% of their income.
The 2008 Tax Revenue would have been over $ 4 trillion, instead of $ 2.5, if part of the Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest would have never happened before but we can count on $ 1 trillion more in Tax Revenue in one year alone when the Obama Administration rolls those taxes back.
Do most people realize that 1 trillion equals 999 billion plus one billion? Because Republican leaders are acting like paying 100 billion a year for health care reform is too much out of our yearly average two and a half trillion dollars in tax revenue.
(Keep in mind, the Republican administration said we could not afford to pay for the Iraq war in several years alone when we could have paid, at least, half of it. You see, they thought it worth their political investment to wait and see if a Democratic Party might later need to raise taxes to pay off the war, along with any other added social program funding that they might need to pay for.) The President was talking about stopping those political games in his speech to Congress.
So why and how, might you ask, are some Republican leaders justifying saying that any health care reform, let alone, a health care plan would raise taxes? Oh, the Republican GOP is not counting on rolling back the Bush tax cuts to pay for anything and they might even count on reinstating them. So projecting a rise in taxes is their leadership’s way of wanting to prepare their constituents to think that it will be a Democratic ‘plan’ not them, that will cause a rise in taxes later when they might later be in charge, without their using added tax revenue from the wealthiest to pay for any health care program. Again, The President was talking about stopping these long-term political agenda games in his speech to Congress.
Democrat’s, be proud that your President had called the political games to stop, apparently, the Democratic Party is not concerned about exposing any games on the Democratic side to the public or media because ‘our party’ has no games to hide or be ashamed of.
However, if we can’t count on the Republican GOP to stop the games anymore than they can count the nations money, I think we need to protect any plan with Surtax for the
$ 100 billion a year on the nations wealthiest and corporations. So that tomorrow’s possible Republican majority cannot change the reform program or the funding for it so easily. We need to find a way to stop the game ourselves, if we need to.
Thank you, I very much appreciate the space and time.
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