I thought President Obama's healthcare reform speech to Congress this week was surprisingly effective at both communicating the urgent basics of U.S. reform needs, and at alleviating Democratic worries that Obama was absent from healthcare debate leadership.
In tone, the President was finally sharp, smart and inspiring on the issue... just as he was on the campaign trail. And he firmly laid out specific goals and principles that must be present in any healthcare reform legislation he signs.
The healthcare bill President Obama signs must "meet three basic goals":
- 1. More security and stability to those who have health insurance.
- 2. Provide insurance to those who don't (have health insurance).
- 3. Slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.
Goal #1 will be achieved by inclusion of Obama's proposed Eight Health Insurance Consumer Protections, which will be a godsend for all Americans with health insurance. Liberals and conservatives alike support these vital measures, including no pre-existing conditions, no gender discrimination, and no policy cancellations due to serious illness.
Goal #2 will be achieved by mandating that all Americans carry health insurance, then providing financial help to Americans unable to pay for lower-cost healthcare coverage.
I am irritated that the President plans lower-income support via Republican-favored tax credits, rather than direct-pay subsidies. With tax credits, persons would need to pay upfront, then be reimbursed up to 15 months later by income tax credits. Subsidies, of course, would be immediate. Perhaps this can be corrected going forward.
Goal #3 will be accomplished by either a Medicare-like public plan option, or any other non-profit vehicle that gives sufficient price competition to cause private insurers to lower the exorbitant costs of their health insurance policies.
As President Obama sternly advised liberals, I am completely open to any vehicle, public or otherwise, that substantively achieves that necessary goal. But I won't be bought off by weak, incremental changes, or semi-worthless window dressing designed to draw one or two Republican votes.
All in all, a very good, very effective speech. President Obama's firm, albeit late-in-the-game, visionary leadership gives me even more confidence that the four-step Congressional process I described earlier this week will, indeed, result in passage of genuine healthcare reform legislation during the 111th Congress.
Teddy Kennedy would be proud. Take the time to read the full text of Obama's Health Care Reform Speech to Congress .
Comments
Pass my a$$.
Obama wants war against the taxpaying public? Well, he damn well has it. WE won’t lose. You can count on it.
Odd, isn’t it, that when the last administration was running up a trillion dollar deficit there was little or no attention paid by the same people now complaining about the costs to correct the disease-management reform train wreck some call the best “health care” system in the world?
About the public alternative, I don’t know why the insurance companies are complaining. They devise a way to cherry-pick from forty million new customers, leaving the most problematical to someone else… like Uncle Sugar — either via Medicaid or the famous “public option.”
Hello Obama-care supporters who dont have insurance – get ready for some change…like being mandated to pay for health insurance.