obama congress health care speech (long)

[scottyt]

first a link to it

congress speech

then my problems with it, with quotes

Our collective failure to meet this challenge year after year, decade after decade, has led us to the breaking point.

maybe thats because the majority of the people dont want it. therefore it should not be law. after all the .gov is supposed to be run by US.

There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage.

i thought it was 47 mil, or maybe they took out the number that is used for the number of illegals immigrants, more on this later

And it's why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it, about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care.

just quoting for later

On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.

i have never heard anyone say end employer health ins except those that want single payer, and they are not on the right

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.

well first every repub addition has been voted out of the bills. so it would be nice to see obama want both sides in on it, but so far no repub has been invited to the white house to talk about health care

What this plan will do is 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 the 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 in 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.

so how will the above lower cost, it will cost the ins company more so they will have to charge more, or go bankrupt, or maybe thats what he wants

Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still can't afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we'll provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need.

another words the poor will get more money back on their taxes than they pay, or to use the old wording wealth redistribution, but i will call it health redistribution

That's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.

Likewise -- likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers.

another words ( did not quote it all ) if you dont get or offer health care and you make "too" much money you will be fined, or taxed

Now, there are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

so what to do with em, either charge them money for a doctors visit, or let them stay home sick and dont give them health care. we know the law prohibits this, so nothing will change here. or they will get health care, at tax payers expense

Let me be clear, it would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance.

well simply this is a lie based on what i quoted above, about how everyone will be required to have basic health ins

...and they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option, but they won't be. I've insisted that, like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums its collects.

well another lie, the poor who cant afford to pay will be getting tax credits, which is taxpayer money. and if the public option has to accept everyone it will not be cheap so where does the money come from.

Now, Here's what you need to know. First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, either now or in the future.

well there goes somebodies taxes thru the roof

Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse.

how long till the bank runs dry and waste is considered chemo for 85 YO cancer patients, or abuse is your doctor wanting to do a test to be preventative for heart attacks

Much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers.

And this reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money

another words new taxes on ins and drug companies, which will drive costs higher as ins will want to recover the lost income or they have to go bankrupt

... I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas.

who a novel idea, let the states right the laws ie how the constitution says it should work

Now, 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.

this goes back to the no repub has ever been invited and all the amendments by repubs have been voted out of the bills

One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom, and our healthy skepticism of government. And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate. That's our history.

so keep the .gov out of it, after all it is our history.... simply double speak

done, i could do almost every part of his speach, but these are the ones that scream out for attention

[Yamsailor]

ScottyT,

You make valid points which I think are worth exploring. Obama did not give us enough details. In my opinion all the bills should be printed in all the major US news papers for the public to see. Maybe we need a national referendum on the bills. Like a primary and general election. I think this issue is so important the public should have a direct vote in it.

[PBzeer]

There is also the simple fact that while including wording banning care for illegals, they provide no means of verification of citizenship. So while they can claim "no illegals", without some form of verification, it's simply words.

[US27inKS]

This is my favorite quote from the speech.

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 the most. And more will die as a result.

We know these things to be true.

And then the dems turn around and accuse republicans of fear mongering. Fear mongering is what Obama has relied upon for the entire health care campaign, it's just a different set of fears than the repubs have been pushing.

[Yamsailor]

I don't see this as fear mongering. Most business leaders and economist agree on this point.

[PBzeer]

It's fear mongering because it ignores the fact that Republicans are not saying "Do nothing". They have offered their own proposals. To Obama, doing nothing means not doing what he wants, not actually doing nothing.

It's at best, a disingenuous statement, as well as being demagogic.

[Yamsailor]

Ok--just so we are clear--what are the republicans proposing?

[PBzeer]

RealClearPolitics - Video - Rep. Boustany GOP Response to President Obama's Address

In brief, portability, tort reform, equality of tax advantages for individuals, and allowing policies to be sold nationwide that are tailored to the policy holder, not a one size fits all.

[Yamsailor]

PbZeer,

This is not a plan, this is a response to Obama's speech that was put together before Obama had given the speech. You stated the Republicans have offered their own proposals and Obama called that "Doing Nothing." I would like see from you the specific proposals and/or Bills that support your statement. So I (again) ask you:

1) The name of the proposal;
2) Who proposed it and the date it was made public;
3) the name of the Bill if there was one;
4) And what you think are the merits and non-merits of the bill and/or proposal.

[PBzeer]

House GOP outlines health care reform bill - Jun. 17, 2009

Similar article also appears on the CNN web site.