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Mr. Obama Battles Toward Health Care Reform: News Conference
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by Pythiian1 | July 22, 2009 at 03:50 pm
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President Obama is holding a prime time news conference on Wednesday, July 22, to discuss the health care reform directly with the American public in order to garner their support and Congress.
The White House is streaming the press conference live here.
Some excerpts of the President's opening remarks during tonight's news conference:
That is why I’ve said that even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must rebuild it stronger than before. And health insurance reform is central to that effort.
This is not just about the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance. Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change their job. It’s about every small business that has been forced to lay off employees or cut back on their coverage because it became too expensive. And it’s about the fact that the biggest driving force behind our federal deficit is the skyrocketing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.
So let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we’re having right now.
President Barack Obama is facing one of his biggest tests to translate personal popularity into a successful legislative agenda, the health care reform. Even when the the bill has passed the committee, skepticism from both sides of the aisle is mounting on Capitol Hill over the cost and effectiveness of the President's reform.
The President has attempted to infuse a sense of bipartisanship since March, which has dissipated due to some missteps that turned into a standoff on Capitol Hill. The debates have been about how to expand and improve health coverage while having enough funds to pay for these plans.
A group of Democrats elected in recent years from some of the country's richest congressional districts have emerged as a stumbling block to raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for President Barack Obama's ambitious health-care overhaul just as the plan has begun to meet increasing resistance over its cost
Two freshmen representatives -- Dina Titus, from suburban Las Vegas, and Colorado's Jared Polis, representing Boulder, Vail and some of the tonier suburbs of Denver -- joined Republicans to vote against Mr. Obama's top-priority health-care overhaul when it faced a vote in their House Education and Labor Committee on Friday.
Strong Democratic majorities, especially in the House, give the White House plenty of latitude. But if wary freshmen team with the more seasoned centrists in the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat coalition, who are threatening the health bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the coalition could be formidable.
The bottom line is the inevitable tax, which has invariably presented a challenge to many new Democrats as they struggle for political footing. Nervous Democrats who are running for re-election are increasingly resistant to the President's health care plan and tax increases.
Further, independent voters are increasingly impatient and unhappy with President Obama's health care reform as reflected by the new Associated Press-Gfk poll showing 47 percent of disapproval, an increase of 17% in three months since April.
But confidence in his approach is slipping. Independents, middle-of-the-roaders who were vital for Obama's election, are increasingly skeptical. Forty-seven percent disapprove of how he is handling health care, up from 30 percent in April, the AP poll shows.
Health care reform proposal has also dominated the annual governors' meeting in Washington D.C. Both Republican and Democratic governors spent most of their time to criticize the Obama health care reform.
The tax issue is presenting many new Democrats with a quandary as they struggle to get their political footing. "These members are going to have to make their own determinations on how to balance these interests," said Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and himself a representative of the affluent suburbs of Washington.
Some Democrats under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-California) have bravely announced that they have the votes on the floor of the House to pass this legislation, however, in reality, Ms. Pelosi has not scheduled the vote.
"I have no question we have the votes on the floor of the House to pass this legislation," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday. But she hasn't scheduled a vote.
What has gone wrong?
The long-standing quest to provide health insurance for all Americans has never been easy because this plan invariably means raising taxes and an increasingly expanding the role of the federal government.
Former President Bill Clinton and Mrs. Hillary Clinton did not succeed due to the lack of consultation with Congress and outside representatives. Fast forward to the current administration, where President Obama has added the challenging goal of taming medical costs.
It is a credit to President Obama who has taken a bipartisan and humbler path, by setting a specific tone, insofar as to provide Congressional leaders to work out the details. In other words, President Obama wants to give everyone an ownership stake in the health care reform.
Obama was going to take a humbler path, but one that he hoped ultimately would reach the goal. His strategy was to set the tone, paint the big picture and let seasoned leaders in Congress work out the details.
While the President has noble goals and aims, but he has also allowed the Democrats too much latitude to make policy decision and political strategies whose actions have run counter to the President's bipartisan goals.
Obama - like a modern-day father with a somewhat dysfunctional family - has tried to encourage, not criticize. With Congress, that doesn't seem to be working.
It is evident that the President has not anticipated the deep ideological divisions on health care within his party, the opposition, and the American public.
In the House, liberal committee chairmen drafted a bill that doesn't even represent a consensus of their own members, moderates and conservatives whose votes they need to pass it on the floor. In the Senate, Democrats headed off in different directions. One group produced a partisan bill; another keeps searching for a compromise with Republicans.
Therefore, President Obama has decided that tonight's prime time news conference would give him a direct route to talk with the American public and to present his updates.
The President did not take as many questions as expected, but spent most of his allotted time to discuss details about the health care reform. In fact, he answered only ten questions.
At the conclusion of his press conference, interestingly, Ms. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times asked President Obama about the incident that involved Professor Henry Louis (Skip) Gates, Jr., Harvard University, and the Boston police department.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (19)
at 16:07 on July 22nd, 2009
Very good article.
Obama will not get all he wants He will have to compromise.
at 17:08 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comment and recommendation. I think more vigorous debates need to be accomplished so that the American public can fully grasp the multi-tiered complexity of this health care reform.
at 16:52 on July 22nd, 2009
I wonder what Obama can really do with this press conference; all kudos to him for trying and for opening a dialogue, but changes are made on Capitol Hill, not within the American public, unless they push hard enough for change so that the other politicans are forced to listen. Hopefully this is what can happen here.
I had no idea the number of people losing health care every day was so high; that's truly terrible.
Great coverage too!
at 17:14 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comments and recommendation. I think President Obama is trying to reach most Americans as much as he can without the media filter, which explains why he didn't take a lot of questions, but spent more time talking about the details.
It is Congress that has turned out to be problematical, and the American public would do well to remind their various legislative representatives about their responsibilities when comes election time.
I find it extremely irresponsible that Congress wants to go on vacation. They ought to be meeting with their constituents to discuss their solutions and compare with the President's proposal.
at 16:54 on July 22nd, 2009
Obama has substantial democratic majorities in the House and in the Senate. If he can't get this program through, it is because the so-called "blue dog" democrats are against it.
This one has nothing to do with the republicans.
at 17:21 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comments and recommendation.
As I mentioned in the article, President Obama did not anticipate the depth of ideological divisions in his party, the opposition, and the American public. Although I will add that health care reform should not be a partisan issue because it is an issue that affects all Americans. Therefore, Congress, regardless of party affiliations would do well to remember that they have been voted in, and that they can be voted out by the American public.
It is true that Democrats have been fighting among themselves, and the Republicans appear to be fairly unified in their positions.
at 17:24 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you to those who have recommended this piece and thanks for your interest in this complicated issue that affects Americans across the nation.
at 17:28 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for this report Pythiian. Well done. Will someone tell me if I heard the same thing you heard.
After sitting through this press conference I heard:
a. The program will be paid by 2/3 from Medicare and Medicaid; (We all know how those two programs worked)
b. the last third will be taxed to those American making over $1 Million; and
c. Therefore it is revenue neutral
Basically I heard the same song that has been spun for the last ten days.
Where were the real numbers refuting those of the CBO? i.e., What dollar figure is placed against Medicare/Medicaid? What is the total amount taxed to the so-called rich?
What services are covered?
Who decides?
I could go on and on.
When asked what specific direction he had given, he replied with rhetoric and did not really answer that question.
Personally I don't think the American public will be impressed with this performance tonight, they might have gotten enlightenment when he tried to give himself as an example of breaking into his own house when he was asked about the incident with Professor Gates Jr.
I will be watching the press reports closely tomorrow.
In my point of view, to cut costs requires a lot more than what he mentioned tonight. It would mean cutting salaries for medical staff, bureaucracy (good luck with cutting government bureaucracy) or cutting back on services.
Maybe there is a chance for our doctors and nurses to return home to the Great White North once their salaries are cut.
at 19:05 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comments. The President only took 10 questions. I expect that the President will address some of the details that are worrying the American public.
at 17:48 on July 22nd, 2009
Good Post!
at 19:06 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comment and recommendation.
at 18:34 on July 22nd, 2009
The President cannot answer any questions about the bill. He doesn't even know what all is in it! He won't take any questions except from hand selected people and topics EVER!Don't ya have a problem with this? Thank goodness for the Democrats who realize what is going on with him trying to hurry this fiasco thru... this rush , rush and cheerleading pressurefrom him is getting BORING! He has lost this one for these dudes know they will never bere elected if this passes.
Now, let's get to health care because that's what the presidential press conference tonight is going to be about.
I have a simple question.
If health care is such a catastrophe in this country, if there is such a pressing, overwhelming need for reform, why didn't any of the $1 trillion in Porkulus money go to insuring those who don't have any insurance?
Why didn't that happen?
Now, I ran some numbers, and sometimes when I run numbers I'm off a little bit. So I ran these numbers backwards, forwards, upside down.
By my calculation, you have 47 million uninsured people. Now, the assumption is that all of them really wish they had insurance. (crying) "I can't afford it, it's not fair." That's not true. Not all 47 million want health insurance. There was a guy at a town hall meeting yesterday in Maryland, we played the tape for you, he didn't want it, he likes having the money to spend on other things.
Anyway, you could, for between 30 and $100 billion, you could buy a health insurance policy for a full year for every person who can't afford it. That's twelve million people, people that can't afford it -- of course it depends on the policy you look at -- between 29 billion and a hundred billion, that's a broad range, you could cover everybody for a year.
Now, we just spent a trillion dollars in Porkulus. Why didn't we do that if it's such a catastrophe? It's a drop in the bucket for what Obama is spending, not just on Porkulus but TARP, all the bailouts that we've had. It's a drop in the bucket.
We don't need to spend a trillion dollars on health care to insure people. Nowhere near it. Why didn't the stimulus bill pay for health insurance for the downtrodden?
Why not send billions to emergency rooms and hospitals who provide care for anybody who walks in?
Why not do that?
Why didn't Obama rescue the people without health insurance while he was rescuing the economy?
We have a deficit we can't pay off; we have unemployment about to go double-digit; Obama wants to destroy the health insurance policies a huge majority of Americans have and like.
He isn't rescuing anything.
He's destroying it.
And he's doing it on purpose.
He doesn't give a damn about anybody but himself and his media.
Destroying the American economy is not how anybody helps people and this health care debacle is an absolute debacle.
It has no prayer of working and providing greater health care.
Health Care is PARTIALLY because people do not take care of themselves. Everyone knows MANY ISSUES ARE because of bad habits, no exercise..mental problems... mental problems cause people to fill up emergency rooms over headaches, stomach aches, & an SIMPLE COLDS....all because they are dependent on the tit of the Government and do not KNOW they are responsible for themselves. They need education and psychological counseling and connection to the power of spirit within.
at 19:06 on July 22nd, 2009
Thank you for your comments and recommendation.
at 20:42 on July 22nd, 2009
Source: ctv.ca
at 21:00 on July 22nd, 2009
Source: washingtonpost.com
at 06:29 on July 23rd, 2009
You are bringing up some very good points here ACP. Thank you for the additional information to this issue.
I agree most of what Obama is proposing and saying has been said and tried by Clinton and even Carter wile they where President.
The ground work has been done over the past 20 years or so by previous administrations.
at 06:45 on July 23rd, 2009
Thank you for this Paschen.
at 06:51 on July 23rd, 2009
Letter to Charlie Rangel, Chairman House and Ways Committee from Director of the Congressional Budget Office, Douglas W. Elmendorf. - H.R. 3200, the America’s
Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, as introduced on July 14, 2009.
at 07:18 on July 23rd, 2009
I just got this from The Heritage Foundation
Obama’s Empty MedPac Promise
Americans may distrust economists, and most of them would have a rough time with an Econ 101 final exam if they had to take it today, but through everyday experience Americans also have internalized one of the most fundamental concepts of economics: there is no such thing as a free lunch. And it is because Americans instinctively believe in this fundamentally conservative concept that poll after poll shows Americans no longer trust President Barack Obama on health care. Americans know Obama is not telling the truth and that fact was crystallized in this exchange from last night’s press conference:
JAKE TAPPER ABC NEWS: You said earlier that you wanted to tell the American people what’s in it for them, how will their family benefit from health-care reform. But experts say that in addition to the benefits that you’re pushing, there is going to have to be some sacrifice in order for there to be true cost-cutting measures, such as Americans giving up tests, referrals, choice, end-of-life care.
When you describe health-care reform, you don’t — understandably, you don’t talk about the sacrifices that Americans might have to make. Do you think — do you accept the premise that other than some tax increases, on the wealthiest Americans, the American people are going to have to give anything up in order for this to happen?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: They’re going to have to give up paying for things that don’t make them healthier. And I — speaking as an American, I think that’s the kind of change you want.
In other words, Obama wants Americans to believe that his health plan covers the uninsured, improves patient care, puts “more money in people’s pockets,” all while adding nothing to the deficit. Obama is trying to convince Americans to disregard every ounce of common sense that they have and believe he is selling them an actual free lunch. Americans have every right to be skeptical. Take Obama’s claims that he can control health care costs by giving more power to a group of experts known as MedPac (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission).
Congress already has a long track record of putting into place seemingly automatic spending reductions in health, only to block them later. For instance, Congress routinely rolls back the “sustainable growth rate” trimming of Medicare physician payments that were supposed to keep down Medicare costs. Congress similarly decided to ignore the requirement in the 2003 prescription drug legislation that it automatically consider White House proposals to limit taxpayer subsidies for Medicare. Americans have every right to be skeptical about this latest gimmick’s capacity for actually bringing down costs. If our health care spending crisis is a long-term one, like Obama says, then Americans should demand that Obama prove he can contain costs in Medicare first before creating a new trillion dollar budget busting entitlement.
But what if Obama’s MedPac idea did work? That might even be a bigger threat to American’s health care. It would be the equivalent of a federal health board determining how health care was rationed for all seniors. Combined with the public plan proposal, that would be another huge lurch towards taking the control of health care out of the hands of patients and their doctors.
Despite Obama’s constant insistence otherwise, conservatives do have an alternative vision for health care reform and do not favor the ”status quo.” For example, Obama wants one single committee of “experts” in Washington to make all medical decisions for everyone in the country. Conservatives take a polar opposite approach. We want to rebuild the health care system from the ground up, not the top down. We want millions of Americans sitting down with their doctors and making millions of decisions every day about what procedures and treatments are best for them. The media is right to be calling out the President for delivering false rhetoric on health care. He’s asking us to trust him on a trillion dollar plan he has not read, and to dismiss what all Americans inherently know: Everything has a price.
WHY NOT STOP PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL OBAMA?