President Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress during prime time last night. Beforehand, The White House promised that the President would deliver specific details about the bill in his speech. While Obama gave some specifics about his vision for the health care bill, there are still many unanswered questions.
The President seemed to be weaving together the different factions who have taken a position on the health care debate. He drew from the conservative Republicans who want more competition and portable plans across state lines, from the moderate Democrats who oppose a public option, and from the liberal Democrats who insist on a robust public option.
The theme of the lengthy speech was that the time has come for all sides to work together to put a bill on the President’s desk. The hint of unity came when members of Congress from all sides chuckled when the President said, “We still have significant details to work out”.
The battle between sides was apparent when President Obama said, “There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too is false. The reforms – the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.” At which point, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted, “You lie”. His emotional outburst was then followed by boos and stares from Vice President Biden, Speaker of the House Pelosi, and even President Obama. Shortly after the speech, Wilson apologized.
As far as specifics for the health care plan, the President reiterated that no one will lose health insurance coverage if they already have coverage, and that insurance companies will not be able to deny individuals coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Some of the new initiatives the President announced included Sen. McCain’s (R-AZ) plan to cover people without insurance if they cannot afford it and cannot wait the four years until the Health Insurance Exchange is established.
The portion of the speech explaining how the legislation will be paid for lacked the most details. The President claimed that the bill will be mostly paid for by finding savings in the Medicare system, but he did specify how those savings might effect the care seniors receive. President Obama also said the bill would be paid for by enacting “Cadillac” taxes on the best insurance policies that health care companies offer. The President suggested he may be open to medical malpractice reform as part of a final compromise in the bill as a way to pay for the legislation.
To motivate Congress into action, the President invoked former Senator Ted Kennedy by citing a letter the Senator wrote to the President in May but was not delivered until after Kennedy’s death. Reportedly, the letter spoke about the “character of America.” Obama used this as a launching point to talk about how a running theme in American history is the county’s hesitance and nervousness of a big government and a government that is continually expanding. The President suggested that this expansion of government is appropriate because Americans are always looking our for their neighbors, and that is exactly what the federal government is doing, lending a helping hand to those in need.
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