Obama Health Care Reform for Americans
Find Out What United States President Wants & Watch July 22nd Speech
Jul 22, 2009
In a televised news conference on July 22, 2009, President Barack Obama pleaded with the American public to consider the consequences of inaction to curb rising health care costs. In his opening remarks, the President said Americans live in a country “where we spend much more on health care than any other nation, but aren’t any healthier for it.”
Before fielding questions from reporters, Obama told Americans, “If we do not reform health care, our premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket."
So what exactly does Barack Obama want Congress to do for the American people? Read below for claims made on the official White House website.
Obama Health Care Reform Basics on Whitehouse.gov
On the White House website, whitehouse.gov, the President outlines his wishes for United States health care reform. Among those wishes are the following items:
- Assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans
- Guarantee choice of doctors and health plans
- Improve patient safety and qualify of care
- Invest in prevention and wellness
- Protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health costs
- Reduce long-term growth of health care costs
In addition to the six goals noted above, the White House website lists improved coverage for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions and continued plan coverage for Americans who lose or change jobs as two primary reform goals for Congress to consider.
Key Points from Obama Health Care Proposal Speech
As Obama fielded questions from an audience of news reporters, he got to the heart of his appeal – he wants to curb rising health care costs over the long term. Obama said that he ultimately doesn’t want Medicare and Medicaid to overburden the federal budget. He also said that he wants to help families keep coverage, and he wants to make health care plans affordable for everyone who wants coverage.
One of Obama’s goals is for all of this to be accomplished in a “deficit neutral” way, to use his words. He mentioned that approximately two-thirds of the bill for health care reform could simply be reallocated from existing funding. The remaining third of the cost would need to be raised, presumably through taxes (example: limiting itemized tax deductions for the wealthy).
Watch Barack Obama July 22nd Health Care Speech Online
Obama wants Congress to pass health care reform this year. He cited two reasons for wanting to do so. The first is the letters he receives every day from average Americans pleading for health care reform. The second reason is quite simple – deadlines make things happen.
Anyone interested in watching Barack Obama’s health care proposal speech online may access the full speech on the White House blog.
In addition to health care reform, President Obama has tackled United States economic troubles since taking office in February 2009. Read about new U.S. government stimulus programs in the articles below.
2009 Car Tax Deduction for Automobile Purchase
2009 U.S. New Car Stimulus – Government Vouchers
Obama’s Car Tax Break – Economic Stimulus Details
Resources:
President Obama Uses Magnetism, Political Capital to Push Health Care Bill retrieved from FOXNews.com on July 22, 2009.
White House Website, whitehouse.gov
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