Obama's Health Care Speech

All in all, not bad. He seemed to finally get to the meat and potatoes of the matter after falling on his face for the last seven months, August especially. He was eloquent as usual and claimed, "I am not the first president to to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last." Time will tell. He seemed to dispel any fears about the, what he called, "key controversies." Or more to the point, he blamed conservative television and radio hosts ("radio and cable talk show hosts," who were not named directly) and "prominent politicians," that "we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens."
An obvious swipe at former Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin, who was correct (if not why was that "end-of-life provision of the original version of the bill in HR3200 taken out? Why did the congressional Democrats buckle?) "Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple." Really? Just because Obama says it's a lie (which he would know a lot about given his many in the last seven months and years prior) and the liberal media say it has been debunked many times over, doesn't make it so. I mean, the ALcolytes say there is a consensus on global warming when there most certainly is not, so why should this be any different?

"Section 1233 authorizes advanced care planning consultations for senior citizens on Medicare every five years, and more often “if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual ... or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility... or a hospice program." [3] During those consultations, practitioners must explain 'the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice,' and the government benefits available to pay for such services. [4]" As Palin stated, and they backed down on. Put simply, bureaucrats would have decided when a stranger, in his twilight years, would be considered for treatment based on need and/or cost; and Obama knows this. Again, if it wasn't what she and others say, why the need to do away with it?

Another "fact" that, well, wasn't; was the president's claim that illegal aliens would not be covered by his plan. Now, indeed, there is no direct language in the bill that says non-Americans will be entitled to health benefits. But there are loopholes.
H.R. 3200, approved just before the recess by the House Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA:
“Under H.R. 3200, a ‘Health Insurance Exchange’ would begin operation in 2013 and would offer private plans alongside a public option…H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on non-citzens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange.”

The Congressional Research Office stated:
"Although HR3200 does state, 'Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.'"

However, the bill contains no verification requirement or enforcement process for citizenship or legal residency, as exists for other federal benefit programs. The only verification required for the subsidies pertains to family income. Beyond that, as the CRS report notes, everything is left in the hands of the Health Choices Commissioner.

CRS also notes that "undocumented aliens" who have a "substantial presence" in the US would be required to buy health insurance (page 4) through the exchanges in HR3200. They would also become eligible for "emergency Medicaid," although not normal Medicaid (page 6) for up to five years." [Section] "246 would bar unauthorized aliens from receiving any premium or cost-sharing credit." However, "...absent of a provision in the bill specifying the verification procedure, that the Commissioner would be responsible for determining a mechanism to verify the eligibility of non-citizens for the credits."

House Democrats defeated all attempts in committee to add an enforcement mechanism that would require proof of citizenship or legal residency for those getting subsidies. Obama knows this, too.

On the this subject, when President Obama stated, "the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." Republican, South Carolina Representative, Joe Wilson yelled "You lie!" Obviously Wilson has read the CRS's report and didn't much care for the president's embellishment.

He later apologized.
He may have been right (with others agreeing with him) but not exactly the right place. Although the looks on Pelosi and Biden's faces were priceless. "How dare they! How dare they question our Messiah!?" You know Blinky's going to make him pay for that one.

Which reminds me, that number of "30 million uninsured Americans" sure does keep changing. Wasn't it just last week that it was at 47 million? I'm assuming it was dropped for the speech to omit the number of illegals inflating the number?

Ok, ok. Here is the good stuff. If this isn't yet another case of Obama saying one thing and doing another:

"I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch." Quite in contrast to what Van Jones proudly said. Yeah, I know, that was about the enviornment. But these Alinsky-ites all do think alike you know. It's this statement that makes me think he was forced to centralize his views on the matter.

He even took a plan or two from the Republican playbook, giving Senator John McCain credit and even, believe it or not President George W. Bush!

"...many in this chamber -- particularly on the Republican side of the aisle -- have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. (Applause.) Now -- there you go. There you go. Now, I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs. (Applause.) So I'm proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. (Applause.) I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas. I think it's a good idea, and I'm directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today.

Tort reform!...sort of.

Plus:

"...if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have."

We've heard this before. And it's not true. It will be considerably cheaper for employers to use the government option and millions will be forced to use the one-payer system. It's that simple. Again, Obama knows this.

"Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime."

"...if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get coverage. We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange -- a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers."
"...It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves."

It looks like the mountain has been brought to Mohamed. Like I said, if it's true.

"My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition."

Puh-leaze!

"Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable"

"If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out"

So the president has given the Democrats and any and all supporters of his plan carte blanche to use the rhetoric and hyperbole to attack anyone that should denounce his plan. No matter what facts they bring to bare. This includes the media. This especially includes the media.

"[I]t's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left or the right or the media. It is only one part of my plan...?"

The public option, the one-payer; I thought Republicans were going to walk out after he said this.

"I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have."

Mm hmm. Again, anything said about the plan will be looked down upon with contempt.

"I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future. I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period."

"I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open. But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to improve it.

Now this next part may have won him some points in the polls:

"I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road -- to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that is not what the moment calls for. That's not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard. (Applause.) I still believe -- I still believe that we can act when it's hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test.

This speech was the last straw for Obamacare. He needed to hit it out of the park. I think he at least got a triple. Like I said, all in all, not bad. Dare I say...impressive. We'll see if it holds water.
I doubt it.