Candidate Obama: My plan builds on and improves our current insurance system...

[ProSense]

This is what Obama campaigned on.

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO AMERICANS? IF SO, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT?

Every American has the right to affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage. My plan will ensure that all Americans have health care coverage through their employers, private health plans, the federal government, or the states. My plan builds on and improves our current insurance system, which most Americans continue to rely upon, and creates a new public health plan for those currently without coverage. Under my plan, Americans will be able to choose to maintain their current coverage if they choose to. For those without health insurance I will establish a new public insurance program, and provide subsides to afford care for those who need them. My plan includes a mandate that all children have health care coverage and I will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs to help ensure we cover all kids. My plan requires all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan. Under my plan a typical family will save $2,500 each year. We will realize tremendous savings within the health care system from improving efficiency and quality and reducing wasted expenditures system-wide. Specifically, these savings will result from investments in health information technology, improvements in prevention and management of chronic conditions, increased insurance industry competition and reduced industry overhead, the provision of federal reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, and reduced spending on uncompensated care.

link

[slipslidingaway]

1. Here is the Obama Biden Health Care Plan from barackobama.com ...

Bottom of page 5 of 9 page pdf, note the address says "HealthCareFullPlan"

Also note the key words in the plan...ANY and OR.

Contrast that with the speech in September, what happened to ANY American having the opportunity to enroll in a new public plan OR an approved private plan.

And let's forget about negotiating for lower drug prices for Medicare, mentioned in the plan to as high as 30 billion a year ... appears we may have settled for 8 billion.

Great timing for the drug companies as the baby boom generation moves to Medicare beginning in the next 2 years.


http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/HealthCareFullPlan.pdf

"...(2) NEW AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS. The Obama-Biden plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals purchase new affordable health care options if they are uninsured or want new health insurance. Through the Exchange, any American will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it..."


September 9, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
ON HEALTH CARE
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-to-a-Joint-Session-of-Congress-on-Health-Care

"...Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. (Applause.) And the insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would do just that. 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. (Applause.) Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up..."

[ProSense]

3. Semantic issues: you forgot this part "or an approved private plan" n/t

[slipslidingaway]

4. Any American will have the opportunity implies THEY will have the choice...

not that the choice would be made for them.

You certainly can twist things...

So are you saying that any American will have the opportunity of letting the government make the choice for them?

What a choice!

[Vattel]

6. your reading is clearly the natural one

but what amazes me is that at this stage of the game, relatively informed persons can disagree about something this fundamental concerning what Obama supports. There's a huge difference between every American having the option of a public plan and only the unisured having that option.

[slipslidingaway]

7. I agree, also the messages have been mixed by those promoting the public...

option. People heard so many times that they would have a choice, if this is not open to everyone (employer contributions should follow the employee) and the bill mandates people buy insurance the Dems deserve to lose in the coming elections.

The insurance companies need customers, in the next two years the baby boomers will move from private insurance to Medicare and they will see there already diminished customer base shrink even more over the next two decades.

Medicare really needs that customer base as well to help offset increased costs, as they say it is not on the table. Medicare also needs to be able to negotiate drug prices for seniors, off the table as well.

And thanks!

[Vattel]

14. I should have said "supported"

Clearly Obama now says that he wants to provide a public option only to uninsured Americans. One thing that confuses me is why small businesses, who can participate in the insurance exchange, apparently cannot change plans and choose the public option for their employees.

[slipslidingaway]

15. To my knowledge, most of the proposed bills will allow small businesses...

to pick the public option.

:shrug:

[slipslidingaway]

2. knr nt

[slipslidingaway]

5. What does this statement mean? That the government has the choice not...

Any American?

"...(2) NEW AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS. The Obama-Biden plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals purchase new affordable health care options if they are uninsured or want new health insurance. Through the Exchange, any American will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it..."

[ProSense]

9. It means people will have access to one or the other. Now let me ask:

Who has access to the exchange?

[slipslidingaway]

8. just crickets again n/t

[thenooch]

11. Bottom Line...

Obama has switched gears...does it suck? Yes.

Would he be better off if he stood his ground? Probably.

Are the insurance lobbies more powerful than "we teh people"?

Looks like it to me.

I wish he would have just done what I knocked on doors for...

Politics? Is that White House that intoxicating?

Really?

[slipslidingaway]

12. Bottom line this poster tries to distort the facts and when you question

her she either does not answer or plays games.

She makes accusations and then cannot back them up...pretty sad.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8715676&mesg_id=8715811

[SoCalDem]

10. wasn't that the same plan that the builders of the Titanic used?

:(

[slipslidingaway]

13. Time will tell, I do not see how the proposed legislation will help with...

the enormous Medicare costs facing our nation if we use money from Medicare to fund HC reform. In addition we are not negotiating drug prices for seniors, something Obama said in the plan linked above could save up to 30 billion per year.

Hope I'm wrong, we might all be on the Titanic.

:(