If you wish, sign the White House commitment to give Healthcare Reform a chance to pass with an up or down vote through budget reconciliation.
Last Thursday’s first-of-its-kind summit capped off a debate that has lasted nearly a year. Every idea has now been put on the table. Every argument has been made. Both parties agree that the status quo is unacceptable and gets more dire each day. Today, I want to state as clearly and forcefully as I know how: Now is the time to make a decision about the future of health care in America.
The final proposal I’ve put forward draws on the best ideas from all sides, including several put forward by Republicans at last week’s summit. It will put Americans in charge of their own health care, ensuring that neither government nor insurance company bureaucrats can ration, deny, or put out of financial reach the care our families need and deserve.
I strongly believe that Congress now owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. Reform has already passed the House with bipartisan support and the Senate with a super-majority of sixty votes. Now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that has been routinely used and has passed such landmark measures as welfare reform and both Bush tax cuts.
Earlier today, I asked leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks. From now until then, I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform. And now, I’m asking you, the members of the Organizing for America community, to raise your voice and do the same.
The final march for reform has begun, and your participation is crucial. Please commit to join with me to take reform across the finish line.
Essentially, my proposal would change three things about the current health care system:
First, it would protect all Americans from the worst practices of insurance companies. Never again will the mother with breast cancer have her coverage revoked, see her premiums arbitrarily raised, or be forced to live in fear that a pre-existing condition will bar her from future coverage.
Second, my proposal would give individuals and small businesses the same choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves. And my proposal says that if you still can’t afford the insurance in this new marketplace, we will offer you tax credits based on your income — tax credits that add up to the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history.
Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for everyone — families, businesses, and the federal government — and bring down our deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades. These savings mean businesses small and large will finally be freed up to create jobs and increase wages. With costs currently skyrocketing, reform is vital to remaining economically strong in the years and decades to come.
In the few crucial weeks ahead, you can help make sure this proposal becomes law. Please sign up to join the Organizing for America campaign in the final march for reform:
http://my.barackobama.com/commit
When I talked about change on the campaign, this is what I was talking about: coming together to solve a huge problem that has been troubling America for 100 years and standing up to the special interests to deliver a brighter, smarter future for generations to come.
I look forward to signing this historic reform into law. And when I do, it will be because your organizing played an essential role in making change possible.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
I will put up video of President Obama’s last healthcare reform speech when it’s available.
K, I do so wish that I could sign for myself and all my friends who for so many years have desperately needed insurance. It is very important for me too and all I am able to do right now is hope and remember everyone in my prayers and to believe that everyone who has a vote, has the ability to do the right thing if they possess once ounce of compassion for the millions of Americans who are suffering and those who will suffer in the future if the bill is not passed. You are all constantly in my thoughts and in my heart.
Thanks for your tireless support K. You are making me 😳 .
If you missed the speech you can see it at White House.gov
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/03/moving-forward-put-american-people-ahead-insurance-companies
I — like most of you here– must be on every email list. Here’s the latest.
Here’s the link where you can sign:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/284
Thanks, Nellie. 🙂 I got distracted and forgot the link!
I really wanted to sign — I’m still holding out hope for the PO, it’s so popular — so I just posted the page. 🙂
Hi KQ! Good – VERY good – to hear from you. Thank you for this. I did sign indeed. Our national faith network is gearing up as well, and we have sent nationwide alerts to our members for this one, last movement forward. I AM optimistic since I see real spine in the Dems for getting this done. As for the PO? Well – maybe not as optimistic, though I’ve NOT given up hope there either.
We need health care reform for KQ and everyone else here on the whole planet, not just PlanetPOV, who must get taken care of well and made whole. You are always in my mind KQ and Planeteers without coverage! We are keeping on keeping on. Too close to quit now!
Thank you for your good and useful post, KQ. Take care of yourself!
No thank you for your support. You are the one on the front in these battles.
FYI for anyone that wants to calculate the subsidies from the various proposals KFF updated their info to add the president’s plan.
http://healthreform.kff.org/SubsidyCalculator.aspx
I know progressives don’t like parts of the bills for and the president’s proposal for good reasons but these subsidies define the difference from what Democrats offer the uninsured and working families over Republicans who basically said let the free market set the rates with no help from government. It’s an issue that should define us as progressives versus conservatives that is simply not getting enough attention.
Signed for both my husband and I, thanks KQ.
I got this in my email this morning and signed it right away.
Thanks for posting this. I’m very optimistic about how our health care reform is shaping up.
Same here, Nellie, on all counts. It’s gonna happen.
I’m still not even cautiously optimistic because so much still needs to happen to be where we were before. But I do at least see more emphasis from Dems that passing universal HCR is the main goal instead of getting stuck in the weeds.
What I’m looking forward to, when this passes, is that people will see how misleading the GOP and the media have been all along on this subject. They have done all they can to discourage people, misinform, anger, convince everyone that it will never happen.
I’m convinced we will have health care. And it will be a good civics lesson for the country — and especially for younger voters.
And I hope progressives get a lesson from this, too. They’ve been almost as bad as the GOP in dissuading people from getting involved in the process.
You are spot on.
I always make the comparison of these healthcare bills with the first iteration of SS. Neither bill or the presidents plan is near perfect but it’s the type of legislation that defines what the roll government has in our lives. Democrats think government should intervene when people are getting abused by the system when Republicans are a party to that abusive system.
Thank you so much for posting this, KQ, and gosh, I just so support our president.
Both my husband and I have signed up!
(it’s good to see you, KQ, and hope you are doing okay)
KQ– I hadn’t read this when I posted his letter in the OT thread. Sorry!!