WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (KUNA): Obama health care speech video and Joe Wilson south carolina Congressman. In what analysts saw as his last, best chance to salvage his top domestic priority -- US health care reform legislation -- President Barack Obama said that "the time for games has passed," and that the best ideas of both political parties must be combined in order to "deliver on health care." The President has been under fire for letting congressional committees provide the details of health care reform legislation, while he avoided committing to some of the most controversial specifics -- including a "public option" for government-run health care.
Read more:
Full text of President Obama health care speech
On Wednesday night, he told Congress there was nothing in his plan that would require Americans who are satisfied with their health coverage to make any changes.
"Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition," Obama said.
"As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime." The plan will limit how much an individual can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, "because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick," he said. "And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies, because there is no reason we should not be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse." For the tens of millions of Americans who lack health insurance, the plan will offer "quality, affordable choices," the President said. "If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage." This will be accomplished by creating a new insurance exchange "a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices," Obama said.
Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in the exchange because it will let them compete for millions of new customers, he said.
"As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage," he added.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 September 2009 )
No comments:
Post a Comment