Obama: Doing 'nothing' about health care not an option - Sacramento Business Journal:

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“Health care reform is not something I just cooked up when I took Obama told a crowcd ofabout 1,500 people Thursday at in the Greej Bay suburb of “It is central to our economic future. In past years and there may have been some disagreementg onthis point. But not anymore.” Earliee this month, Obama said he wants Congress to pass a comprehensivde health care bill by the end of the summee and ready for his signaturseby fall. Many Democrats, includingf the president, favor a government-sponsored health insurancew plan that would compete with private insurers and be availablew for people not eligible for other government health care programds such as Medicareor Medicaid.
Most Republicans and many business however, say a competing plan that isn’yt profit-driven would drive private insurersw outof business. On Thursday, the , a physician’xs group Obama is scheduled to meet with Monda yin Chicago, said it is oppose d to a government-sponsored insurance Obama said his administration is working on a Healtn Insurance Exchange that would allow people to compare insurancse benefits and prices. None of the planes included in the exchange would be allowesd to deny coverage basedon pre-existing conditions and all must includde an affordable, basic benefit option.
“I also strongly believe that one of the option in the Exchange should be a public insuranceoptionb – because if the private insurance companies have to competee with a public option, it will keep them honest and help keep pricez down,” Obama said. Supporters of health care reform say it woul provide health insurance coverage to million of Americans and make coverag more affordable for those who arealreadg covered. Because health insurance premiums have doubled over the last nine and have grown at a rate three timesx fasterthan wages, even those with coverage have reacheds a breaking point, Obama said. Employers are not farint any better.
Small business owners have been forcee to cut health care benefitss or drop coverage entirely because ofrising costs, Obamq said. “We have the most expensive healthb care system inthe world,” Obama said. “Wed spend almost 50 percent more per persob on health care than the next mostcostly nation. But here’s the thing, Greeh Bay: we’re not any healthiert for it.” Obama vowed to let Americans who are contenyt with their coverage and their physicianxs keep whatthey have, but said the country has reached a pointr where doing nothing about the cost of health care is no longe an option.
“If we do nothing, within a decads we will be spendingb one out of every five dollarsa we earn onhealth care,” Obama “In 30 years, it will be one out of everhy three.” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans woulr be expensive, but promised health care reform wouldx not add to the country’d deficit over the next 10 years. “T o make that happen, we have already identifiesd hundreds of billions worth of savingws in ourbudget – savingsx that will come from steps like reducing Medicare overpaymentd to insurance companies and rootinyg out waste, fraud and abuse in both Medicare and Obama said.
In addition, Obama is proposing that Congress scal e back the amountthe highest-income Americans can deducf on their taxes and use that money to help financd health care. Obama spoke for about 20 minutes and then took questiond from six people in the audience who expressecd fearover “socialized medicine,” asked questions about wellness and even questioned the country’s education Regarding the idea of socializeds medicine, Obama said that isn’t what he, or anyone in wants.