Archive for June, 2010:
A True Patient’s Bill of Rights
Three months after signing health care reform into law, yesterday the President outlined a new Patient's Bill of Rights made possible by the Affordable Care Act—provisions that put consumers first and finally get tough on unfair insurance company practices.
The President spoke on these new rules that protect consumers and patients after meeting with health insurance CEOs and state insurance commissioners yesterday. President Obama was introduced by Amy Wilhite, whose daughter Taylor was diagnosed with a fast-growing blood and bone marrow cancer in 2007. The Wilhite family Buy cheap Cialis Online had worried about the insurance companies' lifetime limit on care for their daughter—a limit that will soon be history thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
President Obama:
The Patient's Bill of Rights] are basic rules of the road that will make America’s health care system more consumer-driven and more cost-effective, and give Americans the peace of mind that their insurance will be there when they need it -- give Amy that piece of mind that her insurance will be there when she needs it.
Starting in September, some of the worst abuses will be banned forever. No more discriminating against children with preexisting conditions. No more retroactively dropping somebody’s policy when they get sick if they made an unintentional mistake on an application. No more lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on coverage. Those days are over.
President Obama then spoke about some of the other folks who joined him at yesterday's event, emphasizing that their stories—and the courage it took to tell them—are why we passed health care reform earlier this year:
I met Katie Gibson last year in Bozeman, Montana. Because Katie once had cancer, her insurance policy was suddenly revoked when she needed it most, even though she was paying her premiums. I called Katie the day after the House passed a reform bill last November and I told her then that when it finally became law, we’d be able to protect Americans like her from the kind of abuses she’s had to endure. And Katie, now we can.
So anybody who favors repeal is welcome to come talk to these people and tell them why we should go back to the status quo prior to us signing this bill, go back to the way things were. They are going to need to explain why they -- and tens of millions of Americans -- should have their new rights taken away. I don’t think they’ll have that conversation.
...The stories of everyday Americans and, more importantly, the courage it took to share those stories is what kept this effort alive and moving forward even when it looked like it was lost. They are why we got this done. They are why I signed this bill into law. It wasn’t easy, and it isn’t perfect. Change never is in a country as big and busy and diverse as this one. But every time this country has moved forward, it’s because ordinary Americans like these summoned what’s best in each of us to make life better for all of us. And it’s because we as a people find the will to cobble together out of all of our differences that American sense of common interest and common purpose that’s always been required to advance the dreams of all of our people.
Secretary Sebelius’s Answers on Health Reform
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius answered questions yesterday from About.com readers on health reform and new benefits that kick in this fall. The webcast followed yesterday's announcement of new regulations to implement a Patient's Bill of Rights as part of the Affordable Care Act—which will end some of the insurance companies' worst practices and put consumers in control of their own care.
Watch the full conversation here:
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis explained some of the Patient's Bill of Rights provisions on the White House blog:
Beginning this fall -- just six months after the Affordable Care Act was enacted -- new regulations will put an end to some of the most egregious practices. These rules:
- Put an end to pre-existing condition exclusions for children under age 19 for all group health plans and new individual market policies;
- Stop insurers from arbitrarily rescinding coverage except in cases involving fraud or an intentional misrepresentation of material facts for all plans;
- Prohibit the use of lifetime limits in all policies issued or renewed after September 23, 2010;
- Phase out the use of annual dollar limits over the next three years for most plans;
- Allow consumers to designate any available participating primary care provider as their primary care provider for all new plans;
- End the practice of charging higher out-of-pocket costs for services that are obtained out of a plan’s network emergency for all new plans.
Together, this new Patient’s Bill of Rights will bring immediate relief to many Americans and provide peace of mind to millions more who are only one illness or accident away from medical and financial chaos.
For too long, many small business owners Cheap Cialis and self-employed entrepreneurs have been priced out of adequate health care coverage. The provisions announced today provide these engines of economic growth with more choices in care, greater value for the money, and the confidence that comes with both.
David Plouffe: ‘Stand with President Obama as he takes on the big oil companies’
David Plouffe just sent the following message to supporters, asking them to stand with the President and help OFA ramp up our clean-energy campaign:
The President laid out his vision for a clean-energy future last week. Once again, the pundits were quick to say that it can't be done.
Yes, the oil industry will try to stop us. They'll smear our efforts with every attack they can dream up. They'll run ads against the members of Congress standing with us -- and go even more negative as elections near. That's the way it's always been done.
But we don't settle for what people in Washington believe is possible. This movement has never let conventional wisdom dictate our strategy. With your help, we simply organize from the ground up.
We've set a big goal of getting to $1 million raised by the end of this week for our clean-energy campaign.
Can you donate $5 or more today?
We'll knock on doors, make phone calls, run hard-hitting ads online and on TV, and do what it takes to help President Obama find the votes to build a new foundation for energy in this country.
We as a nation have been talking about a real transition to clean energy for decades -- but each time Washington has been faced with making this tough decision, they punt.
If we do not act, our economy, our national security, our environment, and our children will bear the costs. That's why President Obama told the nation last week that he will not Provigil online No prescription accept inaction. And that's why he's holding a major bipartisan summit on energy reform this week. We will not allow Washington to push this decision off to yet another Congress, yet another president.
This movement has been here before, and we have always risen to the challenge. When they said we wouldn't have the votes on health reform, you proved them wrong. We overcame roadblock after roadblock, and we passed a historic health reform bill.
That's what I'm asking you to do today -- to stand with President Obama as he takes on the big oil companies and the stalwarts of the status quo in Congress.
Please donate $5 or more today:
https://donate.barackobama.com/CleanEnergyCampaign
Thank you for all you do,
David Plouffe
Breaking: Federal Judge Blocks Deepwater Drilling Moratorium
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs quickly announced that the administration plans to appeal the judge’s ruling immediately.
You can do your part by telling Washington that you support clean energy now. Add your name to a list of Americans who want comprehensive energy and climate legislation.
President Obama on Patient’s Bill of Rights
UPDATED: The event has now ended.
To mark the 90-day anniversary of health reform being signed into law, the President will announce new regulations to implement a Patient's Bill of Rights included in the Affordable Care Act. The bill of rights will help put you in control of your health care—helping children with pre-existing conditions gain coverage and keep it, protecting the ability to choose and keep your own doctor, and ending lifetime Order Generic Accutane Online without Prescription limits on the care you can receive.
Watch President Obama speak live from the East Room of the White House at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time.
At today's event, the President will be joined by a group of Americans from across the country who have been helped by the Affordable Care Act—and represent millions of others like them who are seeing their lives improve as a result of the new law. President Obama will be joined by Laura Klitzka, a mother of two from Green Bay, Wisconsin, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2008. Laura and her family had worried that Laura would hit her lifetime limit on care due to her expensive cancer treatments. Under health reform, all insurance companies are banned from imposing lifetime benefit limits.
President Obama on Energy Reform: ‘I will work with both parties to find the necessary votes’
In a message to OFA supporters, President Obama gave an update on the BP oil spill and made it clear that he intends to work to find the votes to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation. The President also called on supporters to stand with him and add their names in support of a bill that combats climate change, builds a green economy, and ends our dependence on foreign oil.
As President Obama reminded us, OFA supporters have never settled for what people in Washington believe is possible. So while pundits say that change can't happen or the political will isn't there, OFA volunteers are organizing from the bottom up—seizing today's unique opportunity to make real progress:
"If we refuse to heed the warnings of this disaster, Buy Cialis we will have missed our best chance to help build the clean-energy future America needs. But if we seize this moment, we can rebuild our economy on a new foundation. ...Together, we can make it happen."
President Obama to Republicans in Congress: Stop Playing Political Games and Focus on Making Progress
Republicans in Congress stepped up their obstruction last week, blocking one bill that would help states keep jobs for teachers and cops, another bill that would hold BP accountable for the oil spill, and blocking votes on 136 of President Obama’s nominees for positions in the federal government. President Obama used his weekly address on Saturday to call on Congressional Republicans to stop Order Generic Cialis Online without Prescription playing political games and start making progress.
On Thursday, a GOP filibuster prevented a vote on extending unemployment insurance and helping states save jobs. As the Associated Press reported, “not a single Republican supported the measure,” which “would have provided further jobless aid for the long-term unemployed, $24 billion in aid to cash-strapped state governments and the renewal of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals.”
President Obama explained:
In the United States Senate, we have legislation that would boost our economic recovery and help Americans who’ve been affected by the worst recession in generations. We’ve certainly made progress since we were losing 750,000 jobs per month around the time I took office. Our economy is growing again, and we’ve added jobs for five straight months. But there are still millions of Americans out of work, and millions more who are struggling to pay the bills. The legislation in the Senate right now would extend unemployment benefits to those workers who lost their job through no fault of their own. It would provide relief to struggling states that would help save the jobs of thousands of teachers and cops and firefighters. There are also provisions in this legislation that would extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, as well as tax cuts to keep research and development jobs here in the United States.
Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the Senate won’t even allow this legislation to come up for a vote. And if this obstruction continues, unemployed Americans will see their benefits stop. Teachers and firefighters will lose their jobs. Families will pay more for their first home.
As the President made clear, the American people deserve an up or down vote on this bill, just as they deserve one on a bill that would hold oil companies accountable for the disasters they cause, which is also being blocked by Republican leaders in the Senate:
Right now, the law places a $75 million cap on the amount oil companies must pay to families and small businesses who suffer economic losses as a result of a spill like the one we’re witnessing in the Gulf Coast. We should remove that cap. But the Republican leadership won’t even allow a debate or a vote.
With Congress returning to Washington today, the President called on lawmakers to work together and make progress:
Look, the nature of our democracy is that we’ll always have disagreements and debates -- even heated ones. That’s healthy and it’s important. But let’s argue over genuine differences – over ideas and policies. And let’s go into those debates with an open mind – a willingness to find common ground and a conviction that, in the end, one way or another, we will have a vote to decide them. Next week, I’ll be meeting with a bipartisan group of Senators to discuss how we can transition away from our dependence on fossil fuels and embrace a clean energy future. I don’t expect that we’ll agree on a solution right away. In fact, I know that there will be plenty of disagreement and different ideas. But at least it shows that Republicans and Democrats can still sit down together in an attempt to tackle the big challenges facing our nation.
I know the political season is upon us in Washington. But gridlock as a political strategy is destructive to the country. Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, we’ve got an obligation that goes beyond caring about the next election. We have an obligation to care for the next generation. So I hope that when Congress returns next week, they do so with a greater spirit of compromise and cooperation. America will be watching.
A Father’s Day Message from President Obama: “The Most Important Job”
Today President Obama delivered this father's day message:
Good afternoon,
As the father of two young daughters, I know that being a father is one of the most important jobs any man can have.
My own father left my family when I was two years old. I was raised by a heroic mother and wonderful grandparents who provided the support, discipline and love that helped me get to where I am today, Buy Accutane but I still felt the weight of that absence throughout my childhood. It's something that leaves a hole no government can fill. Studies show that children who grow up without their fathers around are more likely to drop out of high school, go to jail, or become teen fathers themselves.
And while no government program can fill the role that fathers play for our children, what we can do is try to support fathers who are willing to step up and fulfill their responsibilities as parents, partners and providers. That's why last year I started a nationwide dialogue on fatherhood to tackle the challenge of father absence head on.
In Chicago, the Department of Health and Human Services held a forum with community leaders, fatherhood experts and everyday dads to discuss the importance of responsible fatherhood support programs. In New Hampshire, Secretary of Education Duncan explored the linkages between father absence and educational attainment in children. In Atlanta, Attorney General Holder spoke with fathers in the criminal justice system about ways local reentry organizations, domestic violence groups and fatherhood programs can join together to support ex-offenders and incarcerated individuals who want to be closer to their families and children.
Now we're taking this to the next level. Tomorrow, I'll make an announcement about the next phase of our efforts to help fathers fulfill their responsibilities as parents -- The President's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative. You can learn more at www.fatherhood.gov.
This Father's Day -- I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a dad to two wonderful daughters. And I'm thankful for all the wonderful fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and friends who are doing their best to make a difference in the lives of a child.
Happy Father's Day.
Sincerely,
President Barack Obama
President in Ohio to Mark the 10,000th Recovery Act Highway Project
UPDATED: The event has now concluded.
President Obama is in Columbus, Ohio today to mark this summer’s first Recovery Act milestone—the 10,000th Recovery Act road project to get underway. The project in downtown Columbus is expected to create more than 300 construction jobs and will contribute to the broader economic development effort happening in Cheap Accutane the area.
Listen to the President speak at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time.