President’s Demand For Action On Health Reform Garners Widespread Praise Nationwide
President Obama's call for swift action to pass health insurance reform without delay received widespread praise nationwide. Millions of Americans can no longer wait for the fair and affordable health care they so desperately need.
Los Angeles Times “The endgame”: Reform is desperately needed, and if that means Democrats must push through a bill, that's OK. President Obama didn't use the "R-word," but he effectively called on Democrats on Wednesday to use the reconciliation process to pass a comprehensive healthcare reform bill that Republicans vehemently oppose. The GOP seems wedded to an approach to healthcare reform that simply will not work, and might even make matters worse for millions of Americans. Although Obama’s proposal has flaws, it gets the basic pieces right. And the problems in the healthcare system have become so severe, we can't afford to put off fixing them. http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-ed-reconciliation4-2010mar04,0,3982929.story
New York Times “The Democrats’ Choice”: Republicans’ lock-step opposition to comprehensive health care reform seems to be as much a matter of politics as principle. The multiple sniping has forced the Democrats to consider amending the Senate bill by “reconciliation,” a procedure that can sidestep a Republican filibuster. Don’t be misled by Republican charges that the president is planning to “ram through” reform with a rarely used maneuver. The Senate already has approved its bill with a 60-vote majority. Both parties have used reconciliation in the past. The Republicans happily used it to approve the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/opinion/04thu1.html?ref=opinion
Washington Post “Members of Congress get the same choices as the rest of us”: "My proposal," Obama said today, "would give uninsured individuals and small-business owners the same kind of choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves." It's worth noting that this is more than a rhetorical flourish. It's Section 1312 of the bill…” http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/members_of_congress_get_the_sa.html
Washington Post “The Republicans' big lie about reconciliation”: For those who feared that Barack Obama did not have any Lyndon Johnson in him, the president's determination to press ahead and get health-care reform done in the face of Republican intransigence came as something of a relief. On Wednesday, the president made clear what he wants in a health-care bill, and he urged Congress to pass it by the most expeditious means available. He was also clear on what bipartisanship should mean -- and what it can't mean. Democrats, who happen to be in the majority, have already added Republican ideas to their proposals. Obama said he was open to four more that came up during the health-care summit. What he's (rightly) unwilling to do is give the minority veto power over a bill that has deliberately and painfully worked its way through the regular legislative process. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030303097.html
Washington Post “Obama tries to remain calm during political storm”: Obama, meanwhile, kept his speech in the East Room to a simple 15 minutes, and he made clear what he wanted in the first sentence. The same president who once frustrated Democratic lawmakers by what they perceived as his hands-off approach instead took to the lectern and made his demands. These were his proposals, he said, and he wanted them passed. Now. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030304221.html?nav=hcmodule
Associated Press “Obama: Give health care an 'up or down' vote”: The end game at hand, President Barack Obama took command Wednesday of one final attempt by Democrats to enact bitterly contested health care legislation, calling for an "up or down vote" within weeks under rules denying Republicans the ability to kill the bill with mere talk Appearing before a White House audience of invited guests, many of them wearing white medical coats, Obama firmly rejected calls from Republicans to draft new legislation from scratch. The outcome will affect nearly every American, mandating major changes in the ways they receive and pay for health care or leaving in place current systems that leave tens of millions with no coverage and many others dissatisfied with what they do get. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35686936/ns/politics-health_care_reform/
San Francisco Chronicle “President Obama pushes for vote on health care”: Making an impassioned demand for swift action on health care, President Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to vote on sweeping legislation "in the next few weeks," even if that requires Democrats to move forward without Republican support. It was the strongest, most specific language the president has used to drive his health care plans forward. And he set a clear timeline for wrapping up the drama that has now run for more than a year http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/04/MNK71CAFFV.DTL&type=politics#ixzz0hDsf82RT
Boston Globe “Obama steps up health care pressure: Tells Democrats it’s time to bypass GOP objections” : President Obama increased the pressure on Congress yesterday to take an up-or-down vote on his health care package, calling on Senate Democrats to bypass a Senate filibuster and revive the stalled legislation over the objections of Republicans. Obama’s comments, the strongest public tactical direction he has offered in the 15-month battle over health care overhaul, were welcomed by Democrats, some of whom have been grousing privately that Obama needed to show more leadership. http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/03/04/obama_steps_up_health_care_pressure/?page=1
Chicago Tribune The Swamp “Obama: Fifty-plus-one, 'throwing elbows'”: With his call today for an "up or down'' vote on healthcare -- which, if the bill is to meet his specifications, will mean a simple 51-vote majority of the Senate -- President Barack Obama has invited a rereading of the promises he made as a candidate. http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/03/obama_fiftyplusone_throwing_el.html
Salon “Obama: Healthcare ‘deserves ... up-or-down vote’”: President launches final push towards passage with speech, says he wants vote in "next few weeks": In a speech Wednesday afternoon, President Obama kicked off what he and fellow Democrats hope will be the final push towards passing healthcare reform. But there was something new in the president's speech -- an outline of how this last effort to get the legislation passed will go, and a case for using reconciliation. Obama also used the opportunity to hit hard against Republican rhetoric on healthcare generally. It's a contrast to the bipartisan tone he'd been striking for the summit last week, and a clear rhetorical turn, an attempt by the White House and other Democrats to say to voters: "We tried to be bipartisan, and they weren't having it, so we have to do it this way." Finally, the president ended his speech with a moment of visible passion, his voice rising and becoming firmer as he said, "The American people want to know if it's still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future. They are waiting for us to act. They are waiting for us to lead. And as long as I hold this office, I intend to provide that leadership. I don't know how this plays politically, but I know it's right. And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law." http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/03/obama_healthcare/index.html
The Atlantic “Perfect Storm Nearly Killed Health Reform; Another Storm May Save It”: The Republican Party had a single strategy for the first half of this year: impede the progress of Democratic legislation. Their reasons were a mix of principle and politics, and they were unified in the cause. The Democrats and the White House seemed to have found a way to play on this overconfidence and call their bluff. What Democrats now have as an incentive to vote against their short term political interests -- "the health care reform bill" is not popular, but reform is -- is that it has become a moral crusade of sorts. They've got to pass it to show the American people that they can govern. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/perfect-storm-nearly-killed-health-reform-another-storm-may-save-it/37009/
Wall Street Journal “President Launches Last Push on Health-Care Overhaul”: President Barack Obama opened the final act of a year-long drama over health-care legislation Wednesday, calling on Democrats in Congress to approve the sweeping bill despite political risks and Republican opposition. The president vowed to rally Americans and wavering lawmakers alike. White House aides said a pair of trips next week will be followed by a stream of public and private lobbying. The White House wants final votes by month's end. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703862704575099561273510680.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird
Politics Daily “Someone has to think about the health have-nots,” as well as the big picture on costs, prevention, insurance regulation and the impact of our Swiss cheese insurance system on job mobility and entrepreneurship It's not going to be individual voters worried about themselves, or inexpert poll respondents caught on the fly. It's got to be our national politicians, led by the president. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/20/poll-majority-of-massachusetts-health-voters-wanted-to-save-ref/
TX - Austin American-Statesman “The uninsured can’t afford delay”: I refuse to nail the coffin shut on health care reform. I chose neonatal intensive care as my professional home because it's the perfect world. It's a wonderful mix of high technology and caring, and every infant needing intensive care has access because the care is universally covered by private or public insurance. I could never work in an area that people couldn't access because of lack of insurance. Close to 50 million middle-class Americans are uninsured. That's unacceptable. A year ago, we had a new president and a new national consensus to fix our broken health care system. We were united around the principles of covering all Americans and leveling or bringing down costs. Reform bills passed both houses, and each covered 30-plus million more Americans…We cannot afford to wait to fix our broken system. Do not underestimate the power of universal coverage. How much healthier would we be and how much more efficiently would we spend health care dollars if everyone could get the care they need when they need it? http://www.statesman.com/opinion/inglis-the-uninsured-cant-afford-delay-311012.html
NV – Las Vegas Sun “It’s time to move ahead”: President Barack Obama on Wednesday made it clear that he wants Congress to act on health care legislation that has idled since January. In a speech to medical professionals, the president called for an “up or down vote” on the legislation.
Noting that the issue “easily lends itself to demagoguery and political gamesmanship,” Obama called for members of Congress to put the partisanship aside and work together to bring insurance to millions of Americans. The president has shown his willingness to work with Republicans. He held a summit for congressional leaders last week and spent seven hours listening to ideas from both parties. This week he sent a letter to congressional leaders outlining his interest in several Republican ideas. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/04/its-time-move-ahead/
MN – Bemidji Pioneer “Time now for health care reform”: The debate is done, it’s time to vote, President Barack Obama said Wednesday about health care reform. He’s right – Democrats and Republicans have argued over health care reform for a year and have nothing to show for that work. It came close, in December, but the switch of one seat in Massachusetts from Democrat to Republican stopped that plan dead in its tracks. The debate is done, it’s time to vote, President Barack Obama said Wednesday about health care reform. He’s right – Democrats and Republicans have argued over health care reform for a year and have nothing to show for that work. It came close, in December, but the switch of one seat in Massachusetts from Democrat to Republican stopped that plan dead in its tracks. http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100016490/group/home/
PA – Pittsburgh Post “The LBJ comes out in BHO: Obama should ‘ram through’ health care reform”: For those who feared that Barack Obama did not have any Lyndon Johnson in him, the president's determination to press ahead and get health care reform done in the face of Republican intransigence came as something of a relief. The president's critics have regularly accused him of not being as tough or wily or forceful as LBJ was in pushing through civil rights and the social programs of his Great Society. Mr. Obama seemed willing to let Congress go its own way and was so anxious to look bipartisan that he wouldn't even take his own side in arguments with Republicans. Those days are over. Yesterday the president made clear what he wants in a health care bill, and he urged Congress to pass it by the most expeditious means available. He was also clear on what bipartisanship should mean -- and what it can't mean. Democrats, who happen to be in the majority, have already added Republican ideas to their proposals. Mr. Obama said he was open to four more that came up during the health care summit. What he's unwilling to do, and rightly, is to give the minority veto power over a bill that has deliberately and painfully worked its way through the regular legislative process. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040084-109.stm#ixzz0hDx486Mq
PA – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Seniors can’t afford to wait for health care reform”: President Barack Obama yesterday renewed his call for Congress to enact real health reform this year. I hope the members of Congress heed his challenge. America's seniors should hope so, too. The health care proposal under consideration would increase funding for the Medicare drug benefit, create more options for seniors who rely on home and community-based care and strengthen the safety net for those who require long-term services and supports. These initiatives would benefit seniors enormously. Consider the Medicare drug benefit's notorious "doughnut hole." Today, once seniors have spent $2,830 on drugs, they're forced to cover the full cost of their medicines until their out-of-pocket expenses have reached $4,550. This coverage gap can make prescription drugs prohibitively expensive for many seniors. For many, it means the choice between food and medicine. The health care proposal would shrink the doughnut hole.http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040017-109stm#ixzz0hDxctYAh
MI – The Detroit News “Dingell: ‘Do whatever it takes’ to repair broken system”: The newest incarnation of federal health insurance reform will be bipartisan in terms of ideas, but it unfortunately looks doubtful we will have bipartisan support. That said, there is little debate about the course of our current health insurance system -- we can't afford the status quo. Warren Buffett has said that, as have the chief executive officers of the Business Roundtable. Companies can't cover health care expenses -- which is why we see downsizing, stagnation and shrinking benefits. Families can't handle the costs -- and as a result we are seeing more personal bankruptcies and foreclosures. According to a Business Roundtable report, employers will pay three times the cost they now pay to insure workers in just the next decade if we do not act. http://www.detnews.com/article/20100304/OPINION01/3040350/1008/opinion01/Dingell---Do-whatever-it-takes--to-repair-broken-system