The president satisfied me....

[Joe Fields]

I would like to call for a calming down of emotions and rhetoric. This president is COMMITTED to healthcare reform. It eats up too much of our budget and has taken too much of a human toll.

I did not get everything I wanted, in the president's speech. I doubt that any one individual will. But, in your lifetime, except for LBJ and Medicare, have you ever seen another president, including Clinton fight so hard for you on this issue? I haven't, and I've been around since before the LBJ presidency.

The devil will, of course, be in the details, but I was lifted by the speech last night. If the final bill reflects what the president outlined last night, I will place a picture of President Barack Obama on the wall of my livingroom, next to my picture of JFK.

[TxRider]

1. He did not satisfy me...

For many reasons..

[Joe Fields]

5. you failed to outline your reasons. I would like to hear them.

[TxRider]

17. Ok

First was the pre existing conditions issue. He says you won't be denied coverage, but I didn't a hear a peep about how much you might have to pay if you have a pre existing condition. Been there, done that, I wasn't denied coverage just quoted an astronomical price. I paid for the surgery out of pocket, then joined the plan I set for my then new company.

Next is the deficit neutral part. He says it will be paid for in medicare cuts, what cuts specifically?

Will congress actually have the fortitude to cut a half trillion from medicare after this bill is passed? He insinuated they will not, as he says if savings aren't realized the bill will force them to cut spending "elsewhere"?

Next is costs to small business. I run a business with about a dozen employees, employee cost is 90% of my costs. They are all salaried with 100% insurance paid even dental. I'm on the edge of holding the line in this economy and I haven't heard enough to tell me this won't push me over the edge.

He says this will stop all the people going to expensive emergency rooms for treatment, but I hear nothing that tells me this is true. I do not see the people using emergency rooms changing these habits and not just continuing to do as they do today. Not without some policy to force that change of habit.

The biggest bright spot for me was that I will have a way to gather with other small businesses to achieve some leverage and get lower costs, something Bush also promised in his last election. I'll believe it when I see it, unfortunately I won't for another 4 years it seems, if I can last that long.

I also do not see how the mandate for every person to buy insurance will be enforced. Or how much that will cost. He says it's just like mandated car insurance, but as we all know uninsured drivers are a big problem. This is why we buy uninsured motorist coverage.

[Joe Fields]

31. keep in mind that in a national speech, it is impossible to get into

very fine specifics.

[TxRider]

32. Yes

But when saying it will be illegal to deny coverage for a pre existing condition, a simple "at an affordable cost" is not a fine specific. Was it omitted purposefully? Is it to get the insurance companies to go along?

Nor is addressing how he intends to change people's practice of using the emergency room for a clinic.

People know when all an ambulance that EMS is required by law to come, and required by law to take them to ER, and ER is required by law to treat them.

Why would they change that behavior? It's free, it's easy.. Making an appointment and providing your own transport is not.

And addressing enforcement of an insurance mandate would take about as much time as the few political digs he took on the opposition.

The details of medicare savings should be presented elsewhere, like in the bill posted on the web site.

I liked the speech overall, but it did little to really relieve my fears as a 50 year old looking into an uncertain retirement, as a business owner, and as a tax payer.

But then I'm sold on health care reform, or even single payer... And simply want to make sure it is done in an intelligent manner. The speech was more geared to selling the need for reform, and dispelling myths for "average Joe Citizen" I guess..

[kestrel91316]

13. Judging from your profile I can surmise why.......

[TxRider]

22. Oh please do elaborate....

[kestrel91316]

24. Nope. It's as plain as the nose on your face. ENJOY YOUR STAY.

[TxRider]

25. Thought as much..

If you have nothing intelligent to say, please say nothing..

[DJ13]

2. He gives great speeches, but its the follow through that worries me

How desperate is he to get "something" passed?

Will he give up on the only real means to reign in insurance costs by trading away the public option just to mandate everyone must buy private insurance?

Its too early to say its over, as its just now entering the crunch time.

[Joe Fields]

33. too early

[Laelth]

3. I was deeply disappointed.

Many of us chose to back Obama (over Hillary) in the primaries because he promised us he he would not force us to buy health insurance. Here's the ad he ran against her:



Now he's backing a plan that will do exactly what he promised he would not do. And I am supposed to be happy about that?

I have very good reasons to oppose this plan. I would love to see universal coverage, but everyone agrees the individual mandate will not achieve that. I want good legislation. I do not want a massive, Federal bail-out of the health insurance industry paid for, mainly, on the backs of the struggling middle class.

The plan the President outlined last night is a disaster waiting to happen.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Joe Fields]

6. On the level, I understand and I sympathize with the millions of people

who supported Obama. I did not support him in the primaries, and I voted for Al Gore in the general election, for reasons which are not germain now, but I am a realist. I've been around long enough to realize that this will be as good as we are going to get. It's not exactly what we want, but it's a great start. Let's get behind it. Politics being what it is these days, it will be a miracle, if we get anything close to it. Let's not cut off our nose to spite our face.,

[madmax]

8. Well said.

We have to start somewhere.

[Laelth]

14. Thanks for the respectful response.

My concern is this. The individual mandate will be deeply resented by millions of Americans. It will drive voters away from the Democratic Party in droves.

I might be willing to pay that cost for a good plan, but not this one. It is not good enough.

If Obama does not have the votes in Congress to get good legislation through, let's wait. The current system is unsustainable, and everyone knows it. I think we'd be better off waiting for a more favorable political climate.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Joe Fields]

16. I can't sit here and say that you are wrong...

But it seems as though some form of legislation, or no legislation at all will either be passed or stomped on very soon. The president has called for the time to be now. I am not convinced that we have the luxury and the political capital to wait until a more favorable time in the future.

[TxRider]

27. The sad part

Is that the people it will anger are young people in their 20's and working poor.

I think of one of my nephews about 23yrs old, didn't finish high school, has "issues" due to his alcoholic psychotic mother, and will surely end up in endless trouble for running afoul of this mandate.

I just can't see him buying health insurance and keeping it current. Nor getting a job that pays it and holding it.

[Joe Fields]

28. I can see the mandate ensnaring numerous kids like your nephew.

[quiet.american]

4. What you said. nt

[Joe Fields]

29. thanx

[madmax]

7. Worked for my husband also

He was getting tired of having to explain to his fellow Dem's at work that Obama wasn't going to let Health Care fail again. President Obama said, "Not this time, not now". :bounce:

To POTUS :toast:

[branders seine]

9. roll over

have a smoke

go to sleep

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. .

:spray:

[Joe Fields]

11. I feel ya. I'm not naive.

[branders seine]

18. ;-)

[WI_DEM]

12. the fact that he will get millions of people covered and get needed reforms liberals

have been fighting decades for against the insurance industry means nothing to some on DU. He will have accomplished more on health than any other president in history and some Duers will still call him a traitor. Then they will vote Green in the next election and possibly help elect some extremist on the right and then say it's Obama's fault--just as they did when they helped elect Bush over Gore in 2000 and blamed Clinton.

[FrenchieCat]

20. Yep. It is always someone's fault and responsibility to do the heavy lifting......

and in this case, it is only up to one man regardless of what he is up against...they will say.

[Joe Fields]

30. yep

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[theophilus]

19. He satisfied me and I think it will get even better. n/t

[Joe Fields]

21. thank you. I believe so, too.

[Joe Fields]

34. I do, too.

[cynatnite]

23. I'm not satisfied, but I think it's a very good start...

Even after he signs a bill, improvements will continue to made. I have hope after watching his speech.

[Joe Fields]

26. I'm totally with you. A good start, but we'll see....

once again, the devil will be in the details.