Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

This is what we are fighting for –

It’s 3:30 in the morning and I should be asleep. Instead, I’m reading about health insurance reform on the web. My late night reading may have been worth it. These are some of the best words I’ve read about health insurance reform. The whole speech is worth reading or watching, but I found the ending to be especially good.

From Barack Obama’s Weekly Radio Address:

…That’s why, under these reforms, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage because of a previous illness or injury. And insurance companies will no longer be allowed to drop or water down coverage for someone who has become seriously ill. Your health insurance ought to be there for you when it counts – and reform will make sure it is.

With reform, insurance companies will also have to limit how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses.  And we will stop insurance companies from placing arbitrary caps on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime because no one in America should go broke because of illness.

In the end, the debate about health insurance reform boils down to a choice between two approaches. The first is almost guaranteed to double health costs over the next decade, make millions more Americans uninsured, leave those with insurance vulnerable to arbitrary denials of coverage, and bankrupt state and federal governments. That’s the status quo. That’s the health care system we have right now. 

So, we can either continue this approach, or we can choose another one – one that will protect people against unfair insurance practices; provide quality, affordable insurance to every American; and bring down rising costs that are swamping families, businesses, and our budgets. That’s the health care system we can bring about with reform.

Thank you.

Full transcript

Read, listen, discuss.


20 comments

  1. DTOzone

    on DailyKos, some people are slamming this because he didn’t say the words “public option”

    So obviously he’s sold us out lol.

  2. creamer

     I know my progressive bretheren are upset, but maybe the public option is an overeach. With the economy and deficit hanging over our heads maybe th P.O. should be used as a chip. As a proud liberal, I favor total national health care. And I question how what the president outlined will control cost. In fact the the most important part, not allowing insurance companies to use pre-existing conditions to deny coverage and disallowing caps on coverage would seem to increase cost.

    Can somone tell me where we save money or control cost?

    Maybe we need to pass what we can, trumpet it, and pick up the pieces when another 30-40 million Americans have no insurance. The amazing part of this drama is that the asshole’s who our shouting down the town hall meetings will be the first to suffer when their employers decide they can no longer afford to carry insurance.

    Also, a shout out to John McCain for calling for and end to the yelling and screaming.

Comments are closed.