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The full text of the speech by the LA TIMES, or you can always link to the title where I put the Huffpo edition. It should be read, there are details that might have been missed in the heat of the moment. It was an amazing speech, not just that it was about Healthcare reform,but in the fact that it also was about Compassion, Empathy, and some people being Foolish liars being busted in public and with cameras rolling.
The Irony was that for 8 years we had a president that did nothing but lie and ham it up when the cameras rolled, and who even used that podium to justify an illegal war. Now we have a President who stood there and told the truth that our Country is experiencing a Healthcare Crisis, partly created by Insurance Companies, and that people are dying without Care. As a Nurse, that is a first in my lifetime.He spoke with compassion and conviction,perhaps not as passionate as the speech on Sunday, but this speech was about teaching America how to find their Moral Compass in a Crisis.
He shared Teddy's Final Thoughts from a letter, to remind all of those that worked with Teddy that Teddy had died working so that everybody could have improved healthcare. And in a way it was a chance to remind all those there that Teddy had lit the way on this issue, to not let him down.Teddy's Letter about Healthcare that he shared with everyone with Vicki looking on... It was a moment.
Now many will be critical and say that it was not enough, and I am sure there are progressives that say it was not enough. But it was a start and a foundation for a much needed plan. The repugs looked absurd and childish and he looked like the adult who had come to school them. And sadly that is what was needed.
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( and just for grins - 3 hours later his approval rating was up to 67% for HCR after MN by CNN....I don't think I have ever seen a rate rise like that after a speech, but more importantly- it means that people watched...when he spoke about Healthcare and Changes needed.)
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Another footnote, he did not even mention the Baucus " plan" ( that we called the Wellpoint Plan) even though Baucus sat there looking smug-by the end of the night it was clear that Baucus' plan had been set to the curb especially when he talked about how no one should suffer hardship paying for care.
He also spoke of how the number one cause of Bankruptcy is Medical Debt, and that is true ( I have been twittering articles on that and stats for weeks). I was relieved to hear him speak some of those horrendous stats, for me that shows he gets how bad the problem is. And he spoke of how that Debt is contributing to Our Financial Crisis. Not a single news entity or journalist ( on air) has ever pointed this fact out. ( yet Krugman and Reich have said it over and over). And that reality had to be set into the record to justify moving forward.
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In the Comments I have put some of the substantial chunks and over at Dailykos they have put up all of the videos in pieces to watch, example the Public Option piece is actually 7 minutes, and there is also the whole speech as well.
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If you want to support the President's plan and goals for HCR, sign here- it sends a message to Congress and Senate..
10 comments:
This section was striking ::
I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for healthcare reform. And ever since, nearly every president and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.
Our collective failure to meet this challenge – year after year, decade after decade – has led us to a breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can’t get insurance on the job.
Others are self-employed, and can’t afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three....
...times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover.
We are the only advanced democracy on Earth – the only wealthy nation – that allows such hardships for millions of its people. There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without healthcare coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone.
But the problem that plagues the healthcare system is not just a problem of the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you’ll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won’t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day.
kind of sad that this had to be said
and could not be said at a Town Hall meeting:
"By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer more than doubled in size. That is heart-breaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America."
hmm, NO ONE...
Then there’s the problem of rising costs. We spend one-and-a-half times more per person on healthcare than any other country, but we aren’t any healthier for it. This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. It’s why so many employers – especially small businesses – are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely.
It’s why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally – like our automakers – are at a huge disadvantage. And it’s why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it – about $1000 per year that pays for somebody else’s emergency room and charitable care.
Finally, our healthcare system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When healthcare costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid. If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put simply, our healthcare problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close.
These are the facts. Nobody disputes them. We know we must reform this system. The question is how.
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this kind put all the repug's denial and falsehoods to bed...
Hey! How are ye?
He did say that at a town hall meeting.. I have heard him tell that exact story several times..
In fact I have heard him tell all those personal stories before.. Not sure why it was news, he was just as clear last night as I think he has always been...I have said it before, I will say it again.. it is time we start to trust this president we elected..
I predict Joe Wilson's outburst was a career changer for him. Downward. He will never ever live it down. It will haunt him for the rest of his life. And rightly so.
I also think his outburst may have worked to the detriment of the entire Republican obstructionist agenda. I may be optimistic here, but I think it was so shameful, it may have cost them all credibility.
Newsguy::
I think you are right- do scroll down and you will see there is already fallout...
;-)
Annette::
For you it is about trust- that s fine- but it is not that simple..and after a hellish summer and having a president for 8 years that did lie- it makes sense that trust is fragile- you can not tell people to trust- they have to find their own way and take their time...
and this is a battle and it is going to take time...to find the peace and to heal...and real action to heal damage and how broken we are as a country....on so many levels....
The President's Plan for Health Reform
“It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will lower the cost of health care
for our families, our businesses, and our government."
– PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
If You Have Health Insurance,
the President's Plan:
Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.
Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.
Protects Medicare for seniors.
Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs.
If You Don’t Have Insurance,
the President's Plan:
Creates a new insurance marketplace — the Exchange — that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.
Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.
Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.
Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.
Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high risk” pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.
For All Americans,
the President's Plan:
Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.
Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.
Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.
Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.
Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.
Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Virginia man they say tried to get into a secure area near the Capitol with a gun in his car as the president gave his health care address to Congress.
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said Thursday that 28-year-old Joshua Bowman of Falls Church, Va., was arrested around 8 p.m. Wednesday. Bowman's intentions were unclear, police said.
Schneider says Bowman approached a security checkpoint near the Cannon House Office Building in a 4-door Honda Civic and told officers he wanted to park.
People who want to get into the area must have a permit and have their vehicles searched. The timing of the request raised an officer's suspicion, Schneider said, and Bowman consented to a vehicle search.
Schneider said a shotgun and ammunition were found in Bowman's trunk. Bowman was charged with having an unregistered firearm and ammunition, she said.
A telephone directory lists a Joshua Bowman in Falls Church, but the telephone rang unanswered Thursday afternoon.
One of the things that struck me about the GOP response was Lindsey Graham calling the President "combative" without a hint of irony (and without any mention of his fellow South Carolinan Rep. Joe Wilson's idiocy).
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