Rep. Dave Obey (Official Congressional Photo)
Rep. Dave Obey, a Democrat from Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, did not publish a statement in response to President Obama's Sept. 9th address to Congress and the nation regarding health care reform. However, he had just spoken two days prior at a Wisconsin Rapids Labor Day picnic, warning that "the U.S. has to get a handle on health care."
Obey complained that the "insurance industry and other special interests have blocked health care reforms for 60 years and are trying to block it again." Obey stressed, "Things will only get worse if we don't act now."
Here are some excerpts from Obey's speech, as posted on his Congressional website.
Now, there are over 46 million Americans without health insurance, healthcare costs are four times where they were in ’48 - at over 16 % of our economy - and it’s predicted that family insurance costs will continue to rise by $1800 a year, if we don’t act. But the insurance industry and other special interests are at it again, trying to keep reform from happening. But, after 60 years of half truths and misleading information, I don’t think Americans are going to be scared or misled into opposing major reform.
The only way that we are going to keep the insurance companies honest is to have a strong public option.
I’ve received letter after letter from people telling me about their inability to pay for health care; about insurance companies cancelling their policies or jacking up their rates; about small businesses being charged more for coverage, and about people being denied coverage they’ve paid for because of the ‘pre-existing conditions’ gimmick. We all know that the system we have is broken. The only question is whether we will all stand up and demand reform – or if we will let the insurance industry and other special interests win again, said Obey.
For those who say we should slow down on healthcare, I say, we’ve been waiting for sixty years! The time to act is now! For those who say we can’t afford it, I say, we can’t afford not to reform our health care system. Without reform, it’s predicted that in just a few years, the average healthcare deductible will be $2,700 and co-payments will continue to go up, too. The choice is not between this health care bill and perfection – it’s between reform and the status quo. And the cost of inaction is unbelievable; family budgets will be crippled, American businesses will fall behind, and the federal government will go broke.
Congressman Obey has been a strong proponent of health care reform, including a public option. He believes that patients and doctors should be put in charge of medical decisions instead of insurance companies. He also says that insurance companies should be prevented from denying or dropping coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
On his website Obey states: "I happen to believe that every child of God has a right to quality affordable health care when they need it without begging. All Americans need to know that when they get sick, they can get the tests and the treatment their doctors think they need without being blocked by bureaucrats in government or insurance companies who often put dollars ahead of fairness."
Read more about the health care reform debate by the Madison Political Buzz Examiner.
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