Obama Holding Firm on the Need for Health Care Reform

President Obama, in a televised press conference centering mainly on his proposed budget, repeatedly mentioned health care reform as one of the key elements of economic recovery. Spending on health care is rising at an unsustainable rate. It is crushing the family budget as well as the national budget.

Naysayers continue to argue that it is BECAUSE of the economic meltdown that health care reform MUST wait. Their point being that we have to get the economy back on track before we can tackle other issues like health care. But health care is not another issue. It is the same issue. How can we promote economic recovery by ignoring some of the very problems that are dragging it down in the first place?

The nearly 50 million of us who are uninsured definitely see it as an economic issue. So do the millions more who are under-insured. Even those who feel good about their health care options end up paying for those who can’t. Now is exactly the time to face the problem head on. If care and concern for our fellow Americans wasn’t enough to get us moving, perhaps cold hard dollars and cents will do it.

The troubled economy has forced many of us to scrutinize our own family budgets. How foolish it would be to remove health care from the equation in order to balance our budgets. We can’t simply decide to ignore the long-term implications so that we can feel better about the balance sheet. Neither can the federal government. Health care is an enormous expense and if we don’t act now to overhaul the system, we will pay dearly down the road. You can’t fix a problem by denying its existence.

Earlier this week, American’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association offered to end the practice of charging higher premiums to people based on their medical history and health status — if all Americans would be required to have coverage, thereby spreading the risk. Such a move would go a long way toward helping people with pre-existing conditions who might otherwise be denied insurance to find affordable coverage. In order to make this scenario work, however, we’re going to have to make provisions for lower income people.

The very fact that some insurers are stepping up and talking about health care reform at all is a good sign. It means it’s finally starting to sink in that this is an issue we can no longer afford to sweep aside.

I’m one of those people with a pre-exisinting condition and an uncertain future. The very fact that the administration is holding firm on the necessity for health care reform does my heart good.

Read more: health policy

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Barbara A.

11:27AM PDT on Mar 31, 2009

Universal health care is a must!! We need it now! We have a BIG problem because Senator Evan Bayh and several senator have joined together calling themselves CONSERVADEMS and plan to allow the republicans to filibuster the health care legislation as well as water down the climate change legislation. People are literally dying because they do not have the care they need and the time is now to make the change. We know we spend too much dollar for dollar for the health care that is provided so there is a better way. There are countries that do it better. Let's get a clue, pick a plan we like best and get it done! I started a petition as soon as I heard about the conservadems and would love for people to sign it. I will put it at the end of my comments. As I have been reading websites, blogs, and my petitioners who have signed, I have learned a lot more about these conservadems and their possible motives. Not surprisingly Money tops the list. Lots of insurance or pharmaceutical money from donations or board salaries to spouses ($800 K!). Other motives sound more like excuses to me. I think these senators should be in the same boat as the uninsured and the underinsured and know what it is like to worry about a catastrosphic illness ruining their economic life. People in other developed countries don't have these worries and we shouldn't either. Please sign if you agree! www.thepetitionsite.com/1/conservadems-you-should-be-replaced

send a green star

James A.

9:54PM PDT on Mar 30, 2009

my comment is actually in parts, first one is actually the ending and last one is actually beginning of my nightmare and KAISER PERMANENTES inability to actually provide you with what you pay for

but HORRIBLE FOR PREVENTATIVE OR REGULAR HEALTH CARE. HOW TRUE THE ELDERLY ARE.... STAY AWAY FRROM KAISER, NEXT OPEN
ENROLLMENT SIGN UP FOR CIGNA (AND TRUELY LIVE HEALTHY). Why I am so MAD is , last year from MARCH- DECEMBER: I went to KAISER many times(urinating blood, not a little a scary movie amount). One visit was nothing, all clean?, the next yes some blood, the next nothing, the next some blood?. EACH TIME, called my Doctor, do we nee dto talk, test more, what is wrong. All I get is most likely(you guessed it, from a page of micro management), your fine, there is a test we can do, but KAiser will not authorize it due to it is expensive?????????!!!!!!!So MY LIFE IS NOTHING,GREAT. So, in December I applied for more LIFE INSURANCE(very worried now in case KAISER PERMANENTE IS ACTUALLY HURTING ME. I applied to a wonderful,, BIG COMPANY, they did the urine, blood test and 2 weeks later or so. They sent me a DENIAL, my Triglycerides were 595(normal is under 150) and two other factors were extremely HIGH. This apparantly is due to LIVER DESEASE????!!! I called my Doctor and hold the phone, oh, wow, can you fax me the results???!!!. Than I get a call, to come in. 2 weeks or so, i get a non chalant call from Kaiser, yeah your results are in clal this number for a diet help course?????!@!!!!! BET YOU 5 BUCKS, THEY DID NO TEST(WENT OFF A REAL

9:53PM PDT on Mar 30, 2009

THEY DID NO TEST(WENT OFF A REAL DOCTORS AND COMPANIES RESULTS AND LET IT BE LAW? This is why you want to LIVE, CANCEL YOUR BOGUS HMO KNOWN AS KAISER PERMANENTE AND SIGN UP WITH SOMEONE WHO ACTUAL DOES WHAT YOU PAY THEM TO DO. A simple removal of a maybe cancerous problem and KAISER is spending more playing this game than doing what they are PAID TO DO HEALTH CARE. HEALTH CARE REFORM IS NEEDED, BUT AT BOTH

9:51PM PDT on Mar 30, 2009

You can however call or go to our dermatology department and get a list of outside Doctors who can assist you in that. So, I went and got a list of Doctors and started on a horrible journey that KAISER promotes(no health coverage, but please pay us, Good luck). So, I call a Doctor and made an appointment and his office wanted several consultations and not the minimal fee as KAISER and their trained doctors had told me. It would cost much much more since Kaiser would not take care of it: the doctor told me they have no clue what is wrong and it could be cancerous? and since it is bleeding and inflamed this could be serious, and the Doctor advised me if KAISER PERMANENTE was qualified for this issue Kaiser would have taken care of this(cannot argue with that). I of course wondering if I chose the right health coverage for me. I did however try another Doctor off the LIST. This one same thing, KAISER is not qulaified to determine what course of action so they sent you to a DOCTOR who was. Doctor's office not happy with me, than says, if you cannot afford our FEES, put ice on it and than "CUT IT OFF", so now I am TERRIFIED KAISER PERMENANTE ENCOURAGES SUICIDE ATTEMPTS/TENDANCIES??? THIS IS THRIVING, LIVE HEALTHY?????? I PAY FOR HEALTH CARE AND GET GO KILL YOURSELF COMPLIMENTS OF KAISER?????? I have talked to several eldery who told me they only switched to KAISER PERMANENTE due to finding out they had CANCER and their Doctors told them that Kaiser was the BEST if your DYING, but

9:50PM PDT on Mar 30, 2009

If you want to stay HEALTHY and if YOU PAY for health care/HMO coverage" STAY AWAY FROM KAISER PERMANENTE" THEIR SLOGAN/MOTTO LIVE HEALTHY, THRIVE is not what KAISER PERMANENTE LIVE BY. IF you are DYING, HOWEVER KAISER PERMANENTE IS THE BEST, NO REAL CURE FOR DEATH. SO KAISER LOOKS GREAT IN MORPHINING YOU TIL YOU DIE. FUNNY, my problem would COST KAISER PERMANENTE maybe 100 dollars at the most and yet 2 weeks later after the first 2 weeks of games, KAISER is now playing the playbook from page 42, maybe 58 that they will forward this to ZION HOSPITAL for a FULL INVESTIGATION??? KAISER is now claiming they will investigate themselves and tell me their honest? conclusion(odd, in any economy, but especially todays doing the right thing is not TOP PRIORTY even if it involves your health. Instead of my emails and phones calls going to the PRESIDENT (Mr George Halvorson) as I have asked(another problem with inept , and over micro managed titled personnel(they do not listen, just read scripted answers from the playbook, trick is finding the answer on what page).So a month ago I went to after hour clinic(you know no real Doctor, all in training, maybe you get lucky and you get a real Doctor, maybe misdiagnosed), I had a few growths(skin tags I think) that were inflamed and now itchy skin growths. The (PA, PN whatever title), doctor came in and froze 2 of them, but the one on my face(scabbed, and the one on my chest inflamed) I got an immediate that is cosmetic and KAISER does not

Frank H.

11:20AM PDT on Mar 27, 2009

We need to stop the CODEX COMMISION under the UN and WTO from implementing health care regulations concerning natural supplements that would restrict our choices. I have a hereditary condition that alopathic medicine was impotent to deal with and I came to terms with using natural supplements which would not be available under codex regulations.

Dianna Kathryn G.

7:06AM PDT on Mar 27, 2009

I'm Canadian. We need reform, too. Even though we have hospital coverage and doctor coverage, we don't have drug and medical supplies coverage. I think we need everyone to be covered so that crises can be prevented. It's stupid to treat someone after damage has occurred.

Past Member .

7:58PM PDT on Mar 26, 2009

Everyone beware of this one.It is not a good Bill at all.