President Obama warns healthcare opponents not to lie, says he will call them out

September 9, 10:43 PMTampa Headlines ExaminerDanette Pelletier

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President Obama greets Secretary of State Clinton (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Tonight, President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to speak about the healthcare reform bill that has polarized political activists around the country.

If Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."

President Barack Obama, to Congress

The theme of the President's speech was clarity. Recent polls indicate that 60% of all Americans polled are confused about how healthcare reform will affect them.

Following are some common myths about healthcare reform, and the President's response to each:

COMMON MYTHS

• "Death panels" will decide when and if to "pull the plug on Grandma."
  President Obama's response - "It is a lie, plain and simple."
• Free elective abortions will be made available to pregnant women.
  President Obama's response - "No federal dollars will be used to pay for abortions. Federal conscience laws will remain in effect."
  
• Illegal immigrants will receive free medical care, which will be paid for by taxpayers.
  President Obama's response - "That is also false."

President Obama pointed out that "our collective failure" to improve our healthcare system year after year, decade after decade, has "led us to the breaking point." He stressed that many uninsured Americans are not welfare recipients, but middle-class Americans faced with one or more of the following challenges:

• Their employer doesn't offer insurance coverage.
• They're self-employed, and can't afford coverage that costs three times as much as the coverage offered by employers.

The President stated that many Americans are willing and able to pay insurance premiums, but are declined coverage due to pre-existing conditions, saying,

We are the only advanced democracy on Earth, the only wealthy nation, that allows such hardship for millions of its people.

President Obama said thousands of Americans lose their insurance coverage every day, and the weaknesses in our healthcare system also pose a threat to those who are currently insured, in an obvious reference to the unemployment crisis:

Those who do have insurance have never had less stability and security than they do today.

President Obama provided several examples of Americans who lost coverage when they were sick, including a gentleman whose insurer stopped paying for chemotherapy treatment because he had failed to disclose gallstones, which he had not even known he had. The man's treatment was delayed by the insurance company, and he died as a result.

Another woman's insurance company declined coverage for a double mastectomy because she had failed to disclose an acne condition. By the time her coverage was reinstated, her cancer had spread, and she also died.

Healthcare costs are on the rise, with insurance premiums rising at a rate three times faster than wages. Taxpayers also pay approximately $1,000 each year in costs passed onto them as a result of treatment received by non-insured people who cannot pay. This includes the exorbitant cost of emergency room visits for non-critical illnesses. Rising costs are also bankrupting Medicare and Medicaid programs. The President stressed that healthcare reform is critical if we want to be able to lower our soaring deficit:
 

Put simply, our healthcare problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close.
 

President Obama also discussed the need to preserve the areas that work well in our current system, and fix only those that do not. He explained that many of the alternative options proposed, including a single-payer system similar to Canada's, or a separation of coverage from employment that would leave all Americans to purchase insurance coverage on their own, would disrupt the care that most Americans currently receive.

The President spoke harshly about the opponents who have resorted to fear in order to block support for the reforms:

Instead of constructive debate, opponents have turned to scare tactics. Confusion has reigned. 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 we can do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on healthcare.

The President explained that the plan he is proposing is designed to meet three basic goals:

1. It will provide more security and stability for those who have insurance.
2. It will provide insurance for those who don't have it.
3. It will slow the growth of our healthcare costs for families, business, and government.

President Obama also stressed, "If you already have insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or VA, nothing in the plan requires you to change what you have." He detailed some of the most important features of the new plan:

• Insurers will not be allowed to deny coverage for an illness due to a pre-existing condition.
• Insurers will not be allowed to cancel or reduce your coverage if you get sick.
• Insurers will not be allowed to arbitrarily cap benefits each year, or impose a lifetime benefit cap
• The amount of out-of-pocket expenses you pay will be reduced

In the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.

The new plan will focus on preventive care that catches diseases before they spread, which the President said will save money and lives.

Those who are currently uninsured will have access to quality, affordable options that will help them if they lose their coverage due to a job change or because they become self-employed. The public option that has been the source of so much controversy represents only one aspect of the plan, and only about 5% of Americans are even expected to use it, according to President Obama.

He also said no one would ever be forced to go on the public plan. Addressing fears that a public plan would drive private insurers out of business, the President made an analogy about private and public universities, a system that encourages healthy competition while also providing multiple options for students.

The President said the insurance exchange proposed for the public plan would increase competition among insurers. Individuals and employers would have more bargaining power, similar to what large employers and Congress use to ensure the best group rates. Tax credits will also be provided to those individuals and small employers who still cannot afford healthcare coverage.

President Obama said the insurance exchange would take effect in four years, but low-cost coverage will be immediately available to protect you in case you become seriously ill. The President even credited Senator John McCain for originally suggesting this idea during the campaign

The President acknowledged that some individuals and employers may want to forego coverage, and said that this type of  "irresponsible" behavior costs all of us. Under the new plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance, just as most states require drivers to carry auto insurance. Businesses who do not provide coverage for employees will pay a higher tax to help offset costs for the rest of us. Some smaller businesses or those experiencing a hardship will be excluded from this requirement. The President stressed that in order for healthcare reform to work, everyone must do their part.

Finally, President Obama addressed another primary concern: How will the plan be paid for? He insisted that he would not sign a plan that increases the deficit, and said the plan has to be self-sufficent and sustainable through the elimination of waste and abuse in the system.  Reforming medical malpractice laws will also help reduce healthcare costs.

President Obama also assured seniors that no money would be taken from the Medicare Trust Fund to pay for the new healthcare reform plan, but said some of the savings from the plan could be used to offset the cost of prescription drugs for seniors in the future.

 The President also attacked his critics for spreading misinformation and reassured seniors:

Don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut., especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past, and just this year, supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. 

That will not happen on my watch! I will protect Medicare.

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