President Obama’s speech regarding health care reform was presented to the nation on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. This speech was presented live, and was available on most major networks. The speech, clocking in at less then one hour, focused on Obama’s description of health care reform. Below is my interpertaton of the speech, and includes my personal opinions. I suggest you watch the video yourself and form your own opinion. I am an Independent Conservative, and am rational and can form my own opinion. I have decided to review the speech with an open mind, and see what Obama plans in his health care plan.
Before we continue, here is a link to the full video. I will try to include the video in this page once it becomes available.
The Review
The speech begins with statements regarding the economic crisis, with Obama saying he will not let up on recovery. Obama makes the statement, “we have pulled the economy back from the brink” and cites his bold moves sense January as a cause. This is a bold statement that could come back to harm him if we hit a new down turn or if things do not improve quickly. President Obama then begins to discuss health care reform, where he states, “I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.” Another bold statement that could harm his administration if he does not get this passed in the manor he specifies this evening.
President Obama then goes into the history of health care reform, where he cites for the past 100 years all presidents have tried to tackle reforming health care. I am not sure if this is at all true; I do not remember George Bush doing anything to change health care, but I may not remember. He may include efforts by Congress or members of congress in this total. The point in this statement is to show we need to change it, but all have failed, except for him, if he can get it done.
President Obama then begins his statements on insurance and the need for health care reform. He states, “We are the only democracy, the only advanced democracy on earth, the only wealthy nation, that allows for such hardship for millions of its people.”. Obama continues by stating there are over 30 million Americans that cannot get coverage. President Obama continues by stating how unstable the health care system is, where insurers drop people if they get sick, and how people live in fear on loosing their insurance if they move or change jobs. These are statements I cannot argue with, as private insurance is terrible and needs to be regulated. Obama then gives examples on how horrible private insurance can be, which is effective. While the examples he gives work, he takes one side by stating only the negatives of private insurance while ignoring any positives. I am not sure if many positives exist, however it is logical he would focus on the negatives of private insurance.
President Obama then begins to discuss the costs to our nation our current system provides. Obama states, “Insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages”. I am not sure on the numbers but this would not surprise me. This leads to less money for families and less insurance from business. Obama states, “Our health care problem is our deficit problem”, warning Medicare and Medicaid will in the future if unchanged take up more cost then all other governmental programs combined.
President Obama talks about the possible solutions to health care. He cites how the left want a Canada style system where the government pays for all the costs of the citizens. He then notes the right wants a system where employers do not pay for health care, leaving employees to purchase their own health care. I am not well versed on Republican solutions to health care, but this does not sound likely. How is this any better then now? I am not sure if this is true, however President Obama takes a centrist stance and suggests both plans have valid points. He then departs, and states both plans would radically change our health care system and create a huge disruption. Obama states we need to fix what works rather then build a entirely new system. I suspect many left wing radicals are very upset at this statement.
President Obama continues by stating the success in building reform, by stating corporation by congress, doctors, and drug companies. He states that 80% of what is in his plan has been agreed to. Again, not sure if this is true, it all depends to who is agreeing. I am sure Republicans are not included in this group. President Obama then goes into attack mode, blaming partisan politics (Republicans and Conservatives) providing scare tactics to stop reform. Obama blames any confusion on his reform on the partisan politics, while stating the time for bickering is over. “The time for games has passed. Now is the season of action, now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together”. Obama is quite keen on the stroke and slap technique; by blaming Republicans and Conservitives in one statement, while listening to their ideas in another.
Obama’s plan has three main goals: stabilize health care, provide health care to those who do not have it, and slow the growth of health care cost. The last one sticks out, as it is hard to see lowering costs of health care when you add 40 million people to a system. We will see how he suggests we will pay for it. Obama then begins to give details on his plan. He first states that if you have health insurance from any source, you will not be required to change your plan or your doctor. President Obama then states one huge fact, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage based on a preexisting condition. This is something I agree with; I had back sugary 15 years ago, and my current health care provider has denied me any coverage for my back, even though it was long ago. This is wrong, and should be changed. On this point, I agree 100%.
Once the bill is signed into law, it will be illegal to drop coverage when you become ill, or lower your benefits. These laws are not just for the governmental plan but for all insurance. This is another point I agree with 100%. Insurance companies will no longer be able to cap the amount of coverage you receive in a year or in a lifetime. Out of pocket expenses will also be limited. I must make a point here; insurance companies will die with this. I see no way private insurance will survive this, as their money making techniques are gone. Maybe this is a good thing; maybe new companies will emerge fueled by competition, or maybe the governmental plan will be the only plan left. This worries me, as if there is only one source, this source can do as it will as it will hold a monopoly.
Preventive medicine will be required at no extra charge. This point is a good one; as solving a problem early or preventing one saves money for all. Again, all these points are for people who already have insurance; meaning the government will require private insurance to meet these demands.
Coverage will be provided for all, called an Insurance Exchange. This exchange will include government, business, and even private insurance companies. The idea is to have a large group (say 40 million people) become customers. These customers can demand coverage at lower costs, as they are a massive number. Costs can be divided among the 40 million, so in theory, premiums will be low, as a small percentage of the 40 million people will need procedures at any given time. This is how large companies obtain insurance, as most of its employees do not need procedures all the time, so you can pay for the ones who do with the money you get by premiums. With 40 million people, it could work, as long as all pay into it.
Tax credits would exist for companies entering into this exchange. It would take 4 years for the exchange to begin operation. Obama then states now, if the plan is passed, the government will offer insurance to those who need it and have been denied due to preexisting conditions. John McCain was given credit for this, as it was one of the components of his presidential campaign. Some may not like Obama, but you cannot call him stupid. I am not sure how this part would be paid for right now, as this occurs before the exchange goes into effect. This is a point that needs explanation.
Now we get to the area Republicans and Conservitates will despise. Under Obama’s plan, you are required to have health insurance, and if you own a business, you are required to provide insurance to your employees. Obama compares it to the requirement to carry auto insurance. The difference is, I have a choice not to drive a car, I would have no choice here. I would be forced to have health insurance, by the exchange or private insurance. The worrisome part is business; some may not be able to afford insurance for their employees and thus shut down or fire staff. If an individual cannot afford coverage them self, there is a ‘hardship’ waver. Obama does state 95% of small business will be exempt from requiring health insurance because of their size and profit margin. If you are a large business, you are required to provide health insurance; just as if you are well off, you are required to pay for your coverage. So far I have not seen specific numbers as to costs, or amounts of money needed to gain the hardship waver. President Obama does state that specific details need to be worked on. I agree.
President Obama continues by addressing the “myths” of his program. He begins by citing the information presented by right wing media talk radio hosts (insert here Rush, Beck, etc), is incorrect especially when it comes to death panels who have the power to kill senior citizens and the young who do not benefit the plan. Obama states this is a lie and is illresponsible. I personally did not believe this myself; if Obama was a Nazi, he would be smarter then to have a system where it was public knowledge of these practices. There is to much freedom of information for this to occur. If this were true, Rush and Beck would have vanished someplace and have ended up dead for exposing this. This is not something that could occur yet.
Obama continues by stating Illegal immigrants would not gain acceptance into the program. Many in the crowd were upset at this and booed him. I am not sure if this was the left who booed him for not including the illegal immigrants, or the right who did not believe him. Obama also states that no federal money will go to support abortions. This is a requirement to me, as I view abortion as murder and I refuse to have my tax dollars go to an abortion. Again, these are my beliefs, not yours.
President Obama continues by stating that critics of the plan see it as a way for the government to take over health care. Obama counters this by stating that people will have the choice to pick the governmental plan or private insurance. This fosters competition. Obama states he does not want to get rid of private insurance but hold it accountable. Obama states, “But 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. 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. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5% of Americans would sign up.”
Obama continues by stating how private insurance companies do not like his plan. There is no reason they should, it will most likely drive them out of business or severely slash their profits. “I have insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits, excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers. It would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.” I am not so sure comparing his plan to universities is smart, as the costs for universities are growing at an alarming rate.
“It’s worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I’ve proposed tonight.” I am not sure how true this is, as I have not seen a poll on it. It is a good question to see how the average american feels about this plan.
Obama finally goes into how the plan would be paid for. “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. Period. And to prove that I’m serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don’t materialize. Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for – from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care.”. How would these spending cuts occur, and who would be effected? One can assume he wants to resend all tax cuts, “to the wealthy” in order to fund this program. One can also assume he wants to end Iraq and Afghanistan as well to fund this program. Just because Obama plans for there not to be a deficit does not mean there will be no new taxes, or other means to pay for it.
Obama continues, “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. Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care doesn’t make us healthier. That’s not my judgment – it’s the judgment of medical professionals across this country. And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid.”. Most does not mean all; therefore something will be required to pay the remaining cost. We need more specifics.
Obama then goes into Medicare, “These steps will ensure that you – America’s seniors – get the benefits you’ve been promised. They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations. And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pocket for prescription drugs. That’s what this plan will do for you. So don’t pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut – especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past, and just this year supported a budget that would have essentially turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”. This is a good method to insure the baby boomer crowd and older is on his side.
Obama finally goes into specifics on how he plans to fund the system. “Add it all up, and the plan I’m proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years – less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration. Most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent – but spent badly – in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle-class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of one percent each year, it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.”. I am no expect, but tax cuts to the wealthy was over $900 billion+ during Bush’s term? Really? I need documentation to believe this. I can see the wars costing more, but not this.For me to go forward, I need more data and more proof.
While some may hate my next statement; Rush Limbaugh was 100% correct; Obama used Ted Kennedy as the example for health care. Obama went on for numerous paragraphs about Ted Kennedy’s vision and his public service. In a sense, he has become the figurehead for the health care debate. I understand this, and Obama is using a logical choice.
President Obama ends the speech by calling for all of us to get together as a nation to solve the health care crisis. Overall the speech was effective but lacked specifics. I felt we need to work on the specifics of the plan before we move ahead. The main solution is to read the health care bill, however this is a daunting task as it is 1036 pages.
I do not see much changing due to this speech. Those on the left will praise it, those on the right will condemn it. There were moments Obama was seen as reaching out to the right; while at the same time slapping their hand. Those on the right will be furious, and will not believe his words. Some on the left may feel he was to soft, and not agree to the entirety of the plan. Overall it was a centrist speech, with slightly move movement to the left than right. This is logical, as he needs to appeal more to his base then Republicans.
I still am not sure what to think. There are components of the plan I like, and some I do not. I have decided I will keep an open mind and watch what occurs. We need health care reform; however we need a system we can trust and believe in. President Obama’s plan is a beginning; but for me, we need more facts before I agree to it. In the end, make up your mind, and voice your opinion.
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