The Presidential Healthcare Speech

I wanted to crank this out earlier but with work and school I found myself constrained. Regardless, like many others on Wednesday I tuned in to the President's public speech on healthcare reform.

The first thing I noticed when I turned on my television was the fact that the speech hadn't started and it was already 8:05 P.M. It was reported that the President was running a little bit behind schedule, which I found slightly amusing because I'm immature.

At around 8:15 the President took to the podium and was still receiving an enormous applause. It lasted so long that Obama eventually had to stifle his overt thank you's (he must have said this 20 times in one minute) and urge the crowd to be seated.

The beginning of his speech was a remark about last winter, reminding everyone the state of economic depression we were in, that "we are by no means out of the woods," but that we are on the turnaround. Thanks to homeowners and businesses alike, we have apparently pulled this economy back from the brink.

With the tone set, Obama introduced his primary future building vehicle: healthcare reform. Although not the first to take up such a cause, President Obama stated that he intends to be the last. He expanded upon that fact that in the 100+ years since President Roosevelt called for healthcare reform, through our collective failure, we have continued to place hardships on the uninsured to the point of bankruptcy. The middle class can't get coverage, others can't find it; we are the only wealthy nation that allows such hardships, with over 30 million uninsured according to Obama.

It's not just the uninsured that face problems however. Those with insurance still have very low stability, the audience is told. Insurance companies provide poor treatment for coverage, the costs of healthcare are rising, which is even affecting our business sector. The President told of entrepreneurs stalling to open new businesses because they can't afford proper coverage. He stated that healthcare taxes heavily on programs like Medicare and Medicaid, that "healthcare IS our deficit problem."

Perhaps as rhetorical lead-in the President then asked: how do we reform the system. He noted that on the far Left, there's a single payer system, with the government paying for everyone, and on the Right, the idea is to have the individual pay for coverage on their own. It seems that the President agrees with neither entirely, but would rather build upon what works and fix what doesn't rather than start an entirely new system from scratch. Obama implied the urgency on this cooperation, that the time for bickering is over.

He then provided 3 basic goals:

Security and stability of the insured
Security and stability of the uninsured
To slow the growth of healthcare costs

For the first goal, that of the insured, the President made several points.

1. Those who have insurance won't have to change anything on what they already have.
2. It will be illegal for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition.
3. It will be illegal to for them to drop your coverage when you get sick.
4. There will be no arbitrary camp on the amount of coverage one can receive.
5. There will be a limit placed on how much companies can charge the individual out of pocket.
6. Required routine checkups.

Now for the second, his talking points weren't as regimented, but I got a few:

1. There will be an insurance exchange created for those seeking coverage if they lose or change jobs. Companies will be able to sell and compete for new customers (that in my opinion, they probably don't want) in an open marketplace.
2. For those who still can't afford lower-priced insurance, they will be provided with tax options, which will take 4 years to go into full effect. But those with low-cost coverage and preexisting conditions will have coverage that goes into effect immediately. (Obama cites McCain here and agrees it's a good idea)
3. People will be required to carry proof of healthcare, like a driver's license.

The President then remarked that he understands many are still nervous over reform. He noted that reform efforts will be made to insure illegal immigrants do not get coverage, to which someone in the audience shouts, "Lie!" which I found completely and utterly hilarious, if anything just for the reaction on Nancy Pelosi's face. Obama looked pretty nervous when this happened too, confiding that it's "not true, it's not true."

The President continued by stating "consumers do better when there is choice and competition." Wall street's relentless profit expectations makes companies want to drop the sick in order to better a profit, and the President wants to hold them accountable. He expounded on the possibility of a non-profit public option in the insurance exchange which will only deal with the uninsured.

His driving idea behind reform as stated in the speech is to kill abuse and make insurance affordable, with the public option serving as a "means to an end." He encouraged the Republicans to continue to address any concerns they have, but only in a solution oriented way. He apparently will not tolerate those whose goals are simply to kill the bill at any cost. The President also noted he will not back down on his notion that "if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice, and that no government bureaucrat will get between you and the insurance you need."

Obama concluded that he will not sign a plan which adds to the deficit, "now or in the future, period." He noted that this will all be afforded by the fact that he plans to find savings within the existing healthcare system, referencing that many things in these programs aren't making us any healthier, including Medicare and Medicaid, and are wasting money. He wants to eliminate the waste and fraud and make medicine more efficient. Another reform measure the President wants to enact includes placing a fee on insurance companies' most expensive policies. Finally, the President spoke of malpractice reform, that defensive medicine contribute to unnecessary costs (a point a which the Republicans in attendance finally stood and gave their applause).

How much can we expect this to cost? 900 billion over 10 years. Sounds low to me.