Obama: Doing 'nothing' about health care not an option - Business First of Louisville:

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“Health care reform is not something I just cookedx up when Itook office,” Obama told a crowdd of about 1,500 people Thursday at in the Green Bay suburh of Ashwaubenon. “It is centra l to our economic future. In past years and there may have been some disagreement on this Butnot anymore.” Earlier this Obama said he wants Congress to pass a comprehensive health care bill by the end of the summer and readyy for his signature by Many Democrats, including the president, favodr a government-sponsored health insurance plan that would competw with private insurers and be available for peopld not eligible for other government healtg care programs such as Medicare or Most Republicans and many businesx groups, however, say a competin plan that isn’t profit-driven would drivs private insurers out of business.
On Thursday, the , a physician’sw group Obama is scheduled to meet with Monday in said it is opposed toa government-sponsored insurance Obama said his administration is working on a Healt h Insurance Exchange that would allow people to comparre insurance benefits and prices. None of the plans included in the exchang e would be allowed to deny coverage baseon pre-existing conditions and all must includse an affordable, basic benefit option.
“I also stronglty believe that one of the optionsa in the Exchange should be a publi insuranceoption – because if the private insurancw companies have to compete with a publif option, it will keep them honest and help keep pricew down,” Obama said. Supporterws of health care reform say it woule provide health insurance coverage to millionsd of Americans and make coverag e more affordable for those who arealreadt covered. Because health insurance premiums have doubled over the last nine and have grown at a rate three time s fasterthan wages, even thosd with coverage have reached a breaking point, Obamaz said. Employers are not faring any better.
Small business ownerd have been forced to cut health care benefits or drop coverag entirely because of rising Obama said. “We have the most expensivs health care system inthe world,” Obama said. “We spenr almost 50 percent more per personm on health care than the next most costly But here’s the thing, Green Bay: we’rr not any healthier for it.” Obama vowed to let Americansa who are content with their coverags and their physicians keep what they but said the country has reached a poinyt where doing nothing abou the cost of health care is no longeer an option.
“If we do nothing, within a decade we will be spendingf one out of every five dollars we earn onhealtb care,” Obama said. “Ij 30 years, it will be one out of everyu three.” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans wouldbe expensive, but promised health care reform woulrd not add to the country’s deficirt over the next 10 years. “To make that we have already identified hundreds of billions wortgh of savings in ourbudgetg – savings that will come from steps like reducingg Medicare overpayments to insurance companies and rooting out waste, fraudf and abuse in both Medicare and Obama said.
In addition, Obama is proposing that Congress scale back the amountthe highest-income Americans can deduct on their taxes and use that monety to help finance health care. Obama spokd for about 20 minutes and then took questionzs from six people in the audience who expressef fearover “socialized medicine,” asked questions about wellness and even questioned the country’s education Regarding the idea of socialized Obama said that isn’t what he, or anyone in wants.