The President’s Message to OFA Supporters: We need you in this final march for reform
Following yesterday's announcement on moving forward with health reform, President Obama recorded a special video message for OFA supporters:
After calling on Congress to move ahead with a vote, the President laid out the forces opposing reform and asked supporters for their help in this final push:
"The special interests are marshaling their forces for one last fight to save the status quo. We cannot let that happen. That’s why I’m asking you to summon the energy, the commitment, and the drive that has fueled this movement since day one. I need you to work the phones, walk the streets, talk to your neighbors, and debunk the myths about our plans in this final march for reform. And I need your help in urging all Americans who want this reform to make their voices heard too: every parent, every business owner, every patient, every doctor, every nurse."
You can sign up here to stand with the President and fight for reform in these final weeks -- and stay tuned for national actions and local events in your community.
Live Chat with White House Adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — 3:40 pm ET This Afternoon
At 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time this afternoon, White House Health Director Nancy-Ann DeParle and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are hosting a live chat to answer your questions about the President's health reform proposal and holding insurance companies accountable.
Join the live chat at WhiteHouse.gov/live.
Secretary Sebelius will also talk about her meeting with health insurance CEOs today, where she asked for an explanation on their recent exorbitant premium rate hikes.
In the News: “An impassioned demand for swift action on health care”
Here is some of the news following President Obama's speech calling for swift action on passing health reform legislation:
Boston Globe – “Obama steps up health care pressure: Tells Democrats it’s time to bypass GOP objections”
President Obama increased the pressure on Congress yesterday to take an up-or-down vote on his health care package, calling on Senate Democrats to bypass a Senate filibuster and revive the stalled legislation over the objections of Republicans. Obama’s comments, the strongest public tactical direction he has offered in the 15-month battle over health care overhaul, were welcomed by Democrats...
San Francisco Chronicle – “President Obama pushes for vote on health care”
Making an impassioned demand for swift action on health care, President Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to vote on sweeping legislation "in the next few weeks," even if that requires Democrats to move forward without Republican support. It was the strongest, most specific language the president has used to drive his health care plans forward. And he set a clear timeline for wrapping up the drama that has now run for more than a year.
PA – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – “Seniors can’t afford to wait for health care reform”
President Barack Obama yesterday renewed his call for Congress to enact real health reform this year. I hope the members of Congress heed his challenge. America's seniors should hope so, too. The health care proposal under consideration would increase funding for the Medicare drug benefit, create more options for seniors who rely on home and community-based care and strengthen the safety net for those who require long-term services and supports. These initiatives would benefit seniors enormously. Consider the Medicare drug benefit's notorious "doughnut hole." Today, once seniors have spent $2,830 on drugs, they're forced to cover the full cost of their medicines until their out-of-pocket expenses have reached $4,550. This coverage gap can make prescription drugs prohibitively expensive for many seniors. For many, it means the choice between food and medicine. The health care proposal would shrink the doughnut hole.
New York Times – “The Democrats’ Choice”
Republicans’ lock-step opposition to comprehensive health care reform seems to be as much a matter of politics as principle. The multiple sniping has forced the Democrats to consider amending the Senate bill by “reconciliation,” a procedure that can sidestep a Republican filibuster. Don’t be misled by Republican charges that the president is planning to “ram through” reform with a rarely used maneuver. The Senate already has approved its bill with a 60-vote majority. Both parties have used reconciliation in the past. The Republicans happily used it to approve the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.
Washington Post – “Members of Congress get the same choices as the rest of us”
"My proposal," Obama said today, "would give uninsured individuals and small-business owners the same kind of choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves." It's worth noting that this is more than a rhetorical flourish. It's Section 1312 of the bill…”
“A final vote on health reform”
Shortly after delivering his remarks on health reform, President Obama sent the following email to OFA supporters:
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
President Obama: “Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform”
"I have therefore asked leaders in both of 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 I urge every American who wants this reform to make their voice heard as well." -- President Obama
After a nearly one year of debate, we are now down to the final push for health reform. In an announcement made just moments ago, President Obama presented his final plan, and called on Congress to move forward and schedule a vote on health insurance reform in the next few weeks.
The President outlined why we can't afford inaction on health reform:
Where both sides say they agree is that the status quo is not working for the American people. Health insurance is becoming more expensive by the day. Families can’t afford it. Businesses can’t afford it. The federal government can’t afford it. Smaller businesses and individuals who don’t get coverage at work are squeezed especially hard. And insurance companies freely ration health care based on who’s sick and who’s healthy; who can pay and who can’t.
Democrats and Republicans agree that this is a serious problem for America. And we agree that if we do nothing – if we throw up our hands and walk away – it’s a problem that will only grow worse. More Americans will lose their family’s health insurance if they switch jobs or lose their job. More small businesses will be forced to choose between health care and hiring. More insurance companies will deny people coverage who have preexisting conditions, or drop people’s coverage when they get sick and need it most. And the rising cost of Medicare and Medicaid will sink our government deeper and deeper into debt. On all of this we agree.
So the question is, what do we do about it?
President Obama then highlighted the three major changes under his proposal, which includes the best ideas from both parties:
First, it would end the worst practices of insurance companies. No longer would they be able to deny your coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
...Second, my proposal would give uninsured individuals and small business owners the same kind of choice of private health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. Because if it’s good enough for Members of Congress, it’s good enough for the people who pay their salaries.
...Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions – families, businesses, and the federal government. We have now incorporated most of the serious ideas from across the political spectrum about how to contain the rising cost of health care – ideas that go after the waste and abuse in our system, especially in programs like Medicare. But we do this while protecting Medicare benefits, and extending the financial stability of the program by nearly a decade.
After outlining different approaches and why we can't start over, the President called on Congress to schedule a vote shortly, and urged every American who wants this passed to get involved now:
No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year, but for decades. Reform has already passed the House with a majority. It has already passed the Senate with a supermajority of sixty votes. And now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts – all of which had to pass Congress with nothing more than a simple majority.
I have therefore asked leaders in both of 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 I urge every American who wants this reform to make their voice heard as well – every family, every business owner, every patient, every doctor, every nurse.
The President closed by reaffirming his determination to solve this problem that has plagued our country for generations, and finally pass health insurance reform:
We can’t just give up because the politics are hard. I know there’s a fascination, bordering on obsession, in the media and in this town about what passing health insurance reform would mean for the next election and the one after that. Well, I’ll leave others to sift through the politics. Because that’s not what this is about.
...At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem. The American people want to know if it’s still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future. They are waiting for us to act. They are waiting for us to lead. And as long as I hold this office, I intend to provide that leadership. I don’t know how this plays politically, but I know it’s right. And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.
Read the President's full statement here.
Watch Live This Afternoon: President Obama on Moving Forward with Health Reform
At 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time today, President Obama will present his final plan for health reform and call on Congress to move forward swiftly with a vote on health insurance reform legislation.
The President will speak about why reform is so crucial, and why a comprehensive approach to reform is necessary to truly reduce premiums and end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
You can watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.
Stay tuned for more on the President's announcement throughout the day.
After the Bipartisan Meeting on Health Reform: “Our differences and our common goals”
Earlier today, President Obama sent a letter to Congressional leaders thanking them for their participation in last Thursday's bipartisan meeting on health reform. In the letter, the President discussed areas where Republicans and Democrats agree, as well as areas where real differences remain:
I have always believed that our legislative process works best when both sides can discuss our differences and common goals openly and honestly, and I’m very pleased that our meeting at Blair House offered the American people and their elected representatives a rare opportunity to explore different health reform proposals in extraordinary depth.
The meeting was a good opportunity to move past the usual rhetoric and sound-bites that have come to characterize this debate and identify areas on which we agree and disagree. And one point on which everyone expressed agreement was that the cost of health care is a large and growing problem that, left untended, threatens families, businesses and the solvency of our government itself.
I also left convinced that the Republican and Democratic approaches to health care have more in common than most people think.
For example, we agree on the need to reform our insurance markets. We agree on the idea of allowing small businesses and individuals who lack insurance to join together to increase their purchasing power so they can enjoy greater choices and lower prices. And we agree on the dire need to wring out waste, fraud and abuse and get control of skyrocketing health care costs.
But there were also important areas of disagreement. There was a fundamental disagreement about what role the oversight of the health insurance industry should play in reform. I believe we must insist on some common-sense rules of the road to hold insurance companies accountable for the decisions they make to raise premiums and deny coverage. I don’t believe we can afford to leave life-and-death decisions about health care for America’s families to the discretion of insurance company executives alone.
...While we all believe that reform must be built around our existing private health insurance system, I believe that we must hold the insurance industry to clear rules, so they can’t arbitrarily raise rates or reduce or eliminate coverage.
The President also outlined four ideas put forth by Republicans at the meeting that he was willing to consider, including ways to cut down on Medicare fraud and waste, new ways to resolve medical malpractice suits, increasing doctor reimbursement for Medicaid, and including high-deductible health plans as an option in the new Insurance Exchanges.
Finally, the President re-affirmed his commitment to moving forward with comprehensive reform as the best way to reduce premiums, end the exclusion of people with pre-existing conditions and provide Americans the security of knowing that they will never lose coverage, even if they lose or change jobs.
What They’re Saying: OFA’s USA Today Ad
Here is some of the news and commentary on OFA's full-page ad in USA Today highlighting the nearly 9 million hours pledged to fight for those who fight for health reform:
Dems are beginning to flex the organizational muscle that helped Pres. Obama get elected. Organizing for America, the offshoot of Obama's campaign now run through the DNC, has a full-page ad running in USA Today this morning touting the nearly 9M volunteer hours that members have pledged to incumbents in Congress who vote for health care reform.
Organizing for America goes splashy in advance of the president’s announcement on the way forward on health care, with a full-page advertisement in USA Today claiming more than 8.8 million hours of service pledged -- and counting -- from its volunteers, on behalf of members of Congress who support health are reform. “The President’s health reform proposal will save jobs, protect us all from insurance company abuses, cover the uninsured, and bring down costs,” the ad reads. “But first, Congress must finish the job. That’s why Organizing for America volunteers have committed over 8 million hours to support members of Congress who fight for real health reform. That’s millions of voter-to-voter conversations to spread the facts, build support, and win elections for those who stand up.”
Obama's Organizing for America is running a full-page ad in USA Today pledging support for members of Congress who vote for health reform. OFA says it's pledging "over 8 million hours to support members of Congress who fight for real health reform."
Organizing for America goes up with a full page ad in USA Today seeking volunteer organizers to make the final push on Congress to get health reform done.
Live White House Chat on Making College Affordable
At 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time today, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House domestic policy advisor Melody Barnes are holding a live chat on President Obama’s plans to make college more affordable. These efforts include increasing the maximum Pell Grant, keeping interest rates on federally subsidized student loans low, and ending subsidies for banks that put bank profits ahead of students and families.
President Obama is proposing taking the middle man -- banks -- out of the student lending process, and instead establishing a competitive process to choose the best lenders. Currently, taxpayers pay up to $9 billion every year subsidizing student loans issued by banks -- and banks turn a profit on the interest while taxpayers take the hit if students default. In response to the President’s proposal, the banking industry is spending millions of dollars on lobbying and ads to push back and protect its profits.
Education Secretary Duncan outlined what needs to change and how the President’s plan helps in an op-ed last week:
For too long, bankers have gotten a free ride from the U.S. Department of Education.
Under current law, taxpayers provide as much as $9 billion each year to subsidize guaranteed student loans issued by banks. The banks earn profits on the interest; if students default, taxpayers take the loss, not the banks. In other words, working Americans pay while bankers get rich.
Meanwhile, educators, engineers and computer scientists -- the backbone of the new economy -- face crushing debt from six-figure college tuitions. A study of national postsecondary student aid found that in 2008, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with debt averaging more than $23,000. That number will rise as public and private college tuition costs escalate.
The banks have had plenty of help with government bailouts and other subsidies while working families and students are increasingly squeezed. President Obama wants to eliminate the subsidy for banks and use that money to help poor and middle-class students and adults attend college. ..
The president's plan actually creates jobs and draws on free-market principles by selecting private companies through a competitive process to service student loans issued directly by the Education Department. These private companies, including Sallie Mae, compete for our business and are evaluated on the quality of their customer service and their default rates.
A version of the President's proposal has already passed in the House of Representatives and is currently awaiting consideration by the Senate.
Today in USA Today:”You Fight, We’ll Fight” Ad
OFA supporters have repeatedly smashed the goals set for the "You Fight, We'll Fight" volunteer hours pledge bank, showing that they're ready to knock on doors, make phone calls, and do everything they can to fight for candidates working hard for reform this election season.
You can sign up to pledge your hours here.
Here's today's ad:
