The new outlook on healthcare...as per Obama's speech

Tonight, President Obama finally made his true intentions felt after weeks of arguments and speculations. The Health Care Debate has taken over the country and the President needed to step up to clear things up. First things first; there is no bill just several pages of recommended thoughts that will eventually become a bill. This bill is in a very rough draft phrase and for anyone who has studied congressional workings; they know that. A little cheat sheet for how this legislation will work its way through the House and Senate and eventually to President: http://www.lexisnexis.com/help/CU/The_Legislative_Process/How_a_Bill_Becomes_Law.htm

Now to focus on the proceedings of tonight. President Obama looked to attack this legislation a little different than President Clinton did in the early 1990s. Clinton, along with First Lady and now Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; looked to do a little too much and legislation eventually crumbled. However, this time around, President Obama gave Congress the ability to attack the growing health care problem in this country and things did not go as well and left the debate in a stagnant area. With the country unsure of what exactly was being proposed; as they heard different things on a weekly basis; the President decided enough was enough and he needed to finally let the American public know what exactly the purpose of this health care legislation was. There has been a lot of spin and hopefully tonight people got a little clearer view of what is important about this legislation. I will outline some of the main points and their importance.

Points to take away:
-Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to take up the cause of health care reform. Most presidents since, along with Congress, have attempted to meet this challenge. The first comprehensive health care reform bill was introduced in 1943 by Representative John Dingell, Sr of Michigan. This is something that is beyond party lines and transcends generations. If you look at other highly important legislation through the years, many if not all took several years and decades to bring the fruits of the work and dedication. How many more years must we wait for this one to finally join the rest in the mission accomplished column?

-Those who are uninsured are one accident or illness away from the brink of bankruptcy. This does only affect the lower class, but the middle class as well. That is a very large chunk of the U.S. population. Many can't offer the costs of buying into insurance on their own and many are also denied, if they can pay for it, based on their previous illnesses or conditions. Should we continue to let insurance companies make the choice who they cover just to safe money by not covering those they don't want? How is that just and humane?

-We are the ONLY democracy; the only advanced democracy on Earth; the only wealthy nation...that allows this hardship for millions of its people. Roughly 1 out of every 3 American citizens go without coverage at some point and 14,000 Americans lose their coverage in any given day. Additionally, people who lose their job or move lose their coverage. If someone gets sick, they can be denied. Or the insurance company can decide to not pay the full amount of the coverage. This is something that isn't ending and we have to solve what has occurred. This is an ever growing problem, that can only get worse before it gets better if we don't act soon. We like to brag about how great we are. Why don't we show what type of democracy we truly are by ending this atrocity.

-We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren't any healthier from it. Many are paying excessive costs that can easily be avoided with proper reform and attention. Everybody will win when money is not needlessly wasted.

-Of the five committees asked to develop bills; four have completed their work and the fifth is well on their way to joining them. This has never happened before. A coalition of doctors and nurses, hospitals, seniors' groups and drug companies have all come and supported legislation. This is the farthest that this cause and hope for a bill has come and if enough people band together than the finish line can finally be reached.

-Unfortunately, we have also seen in recent months the same partisan scenes and spectacle that only hurts the debate and views of the government. Scare tactics were used instead of facts and honest debate. This has become an unneeded political battle instead of attempts to compromise and meet in the middle. All the hearsay and comments have only added to the public's confusion. Why can't both sides (mostly the GOP) just look to debate on facts. If you favor the possible bill or don't, just use plain old facts and people will decide if they feel they need or not. The majority should see things the way the President and I do when that occurs. The same recycled garbage is only going to hurt them in the long run.

-3 goals of what is intended via Obama's plan: provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance; provide more insurance for those who don't; and it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. These three goals cover the bases: ensuring those who have, don't lose coverage; ensuring those who don't have, will get coverage; and ensure that costs will be controlled and thus assist all parties involved from losing money or having to spend excessive amounts of it.

-If you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the Veterans Association; nothing in the plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor have. So, once again if you have now; you won't lose a thing.

-Under the plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. It will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or weaken it in their favor. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a year or lifetime. A limit will be placed on how much you can be charged for out of pocket expenses. And no extra charge will required for routine and preventive care. All these save lives and money and make a lot of sense.

-If you lose your job or change jobs; you will be able to get coverage. If you start a small business; you will be able to get coverage. This will be possible through a new insurance exchange; a marketplace with health insurance at competitive prices. As one big group, the customers will have greater leverage to get the best deal for them at better prices with quality coverage. With this in place, what is able to elected officials, the government, and big businesses; will be able to everyone.

-For those individuals and small businesses who still can't afford the lower-priced insurance available in exchange, tax credits will be provided. For those Americans who can't get insurance because they have preexisting medical conditions; they will be offered low-cost coverage that will protect them against financial ruin if they become seriously ill. This will allow all levels of the population to have access no matter what and not end up broke.

-Individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance; just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Businesses will also be required to either offer their workers health care or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. When costs are spent on people you needlessly go without coverage, it hurts everyone else. Improving the health care system only works when everybody does their part. The foolish behavior is a big hinder of the current system.

-Misinformation: there is a plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Also there are also those who claim that the reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. Under the plan, federal dollars will be used to fund abortions. ALL LIES.

-Payment: the plan being proposed will cost around $900 billion over 10 years, which is less than what has been spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed. Most of the costs will be paid for with money being spent wiser.

The last part of the speech is below:

"This has always been the history of our progress. In 1935, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it. In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress -- Democrats and Republicans -- did not back down. They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind."

"You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves."

"That was true then. It remains true today. 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 is 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. (Applause.) I still believe -- I still believe that we can act 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."

The time has come. How will we act? How will this time be remembered? Will this time be different? This is something bigger than the President and Congress and the medical industry. It is bigger than us. Each generation is called to leave an impact for the next one. Will this Congress finally finish what their predecessors worked hard on before them? You may be healthy. You may have health coverage. There are those who can't say the same. This legislation is for them. For all you know, this legislation one day could be for you. The time is now for action.