Posted on 09/09/2009 2:51:05 PM PDT by Beaten Valve
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The White House released the following excerpts from President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress later on Wednesday.
"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."
***
"During that time, 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 I’m announcing tonight would 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."
***
"Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan:
First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.
That’s what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan – more security and stability.
Now, if you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans who don’t currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage. We will do this by creating a new insurance exchange – a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It’s how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it’s time to give every American the same opportunity that we’ve given ourselves."
***
"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. Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed – the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town hall meetings, in emails, and in letters."
11 minutes late and counting..
&&&&&
He is running down the clock so the major channels will not have time to show the Republican response. Then the state media can continue to say the Republicans have never presented any alternative plans.
Not even looking at the tv now. I can’t stand communists!
OMG, did you see that look on Michelle’s face? Hahahahaha She seems angry, again. I think Obama touched a Republican on the way in to the chamber.
“People who show up late make only one statement: They do not respect you or your time.”
Exactly, what an unprofessional ahole this guy is!
There is no published, cohesive House/Senate plan...no body can agree on anything in a plan.
Obozo is playing his last chance card tonight on health insurance reform. He’s a stinkin’ putz.
Where are all the Tsars sitting?
These 535 morons hold the future of our Country in their hands? Oh, stupid morons...there’s Obozo standing in the hall, with his NOSE STUCK in the air.
Did he just finish his smoke? Is that why he’s tardy?
Ooooh, look at the frosty look from MaBelle...she’d rather be home watching the CW...
We need Pantsuit Reform
“Maybe Hillary and Queen Nancy should have called each other about the outfits.
Red
Red
Pink
Pink
Red
Pink...”
The comrades are wearing their uniform...
The story of the elites lying to the ignorant, to get their votes by promising them lots of other people’s stuff, is as old as communism itself.
Chavez is the latest to run the ruse.
MO didn’t look very happy
I am watching live on foxnews.com, I hate this part when they all start coming in the room as if they are God. Get real.
from the backside, he’s ALL ears
Screw all this formality crap, get on with the Communist propaganda so we can call him out.
The only time Sheila Jackson Lee gets any attention are times like these.
Drinking game: every time Pelosi stands up have at it!
Michelle doesn’t look happy.
Nancy wouldnt let go of his hand..bhahahaha
My sister voted for him reminds me I need to slap her around on thanksgiving
“You might cringe at the idea, but it’s a good thing to have a healthy nation, even if that means pitching in to help people less fortunate than you.”
Of course, provided that all able bodied work and illegals get themselves promptly back across the border, I’m all for it. Then let charities and churches handle the rest.
Welcome to FR, by the way.
Maybe that should be “Stumbling” ovations..........
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.