US President, Barack Obama has urged the US lawmakers to join hands with him in achieving the ambitious goal of health care reform, which has been on the agenda of every president for nearly a century now, but none have been successful so far.
Addressing an unusual joint session of the US Congress, which Bill Clinton had unsuccessfully attempted some 16 years ago for the same cause, Obama said, "I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."
Urging Congressmen to work with him in achieving this goal, Obama said, "Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care."
Unveiling the basic tenets of his health care reform bill, Obama said it will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who are not insured. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for families, businesses, and government.
"It's a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge, not just government and insurance companies, but employers and individuals. It's a plan that incorporates ideas from Senators and Congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election," Obama said.
Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
"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. We will place a limit on how much you 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.
For the tens of millions of Americans who do not currently have health care, the new bill will offer them with quality and affordable health insurance.
Under his plan, Obama said individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers.
"While there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance," Obama said.
Responding to his critics, he said his health insurance reform would not give insurance to illegal immigrants. There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false as the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are illegally present here.
And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place" he said.
Obama said his insurance reform would make the health insurance companies accountable and has no plan to get them out of business. "But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange" he added.
The public option, Obama said would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.
