President Obama’s Health Care Plan A Plan for America

Health Care "I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year." – President Barack Obama, February 24, 2009

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Allowing Americans to buy into a government insurance plan.

A “health insurance exchange” Congress is drafting that would let Americans shop for plans and compare prices. All plans should offer a basic affordable package, and none should be allowed to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Given all that we spend on health care, American families should not be presented with that choice. The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person – nearly twice the average of other developed nations. Americans spend more on health care than on housing or food. If rapid health cost growth persists, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2025, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system.

Possibly accepting a requirement for every American to buy health insurance, as long as the plan provides a “hardship waiver” to exempt the poor from paying.

Reform the health care system: We will take steps to reform our system by expanding coverage, improving quality, lowering costs, honoring patient choice and holding insurance companies accountable.

Promote scientific and technological advancements: We are committed to putting responsible science and technological innovation ahead of ideology when it comes to medical research. We believe in the enormous capacity of American ingenuity to find cures for diseases that continue to extinguish too many lives and cause too much suffering every year.

Improve preventative care: In order to keep our people healthy and provide more efficient treatment we need to promote smart preventative care, like cancer screenings and better nutrition, and make critical investments in electronic health records, technology that can reduce errors while ensuring privacy and saving lives.

Presidential Actions So Far… The President signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act on February 4, 2009, which provides quality health care to 11 million kids – 4 million who were previously uninsured.signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act

The President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act protects health coverage for 7 million Americans who lose their jobs through a 65 percent COBRA subsidy to make coverage affordable.American Recovery and Reinvestment Act The Recovery Act also invests $19 billion in computerized medical records that will help to reduce costs and improve quality while ensuring patients’ privacy.Recovery Act The Recovery Act also provides:Recovery Act $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health and help to reduce health care costs; $1.1 billion for research to give doctors tools to make the best treatment decisions for their patients by providing objective information on the relative benefits of treatments; and $500 million for health workforce to help train the next generation of doctors and nurses.

The Administration believes that comprehensive health reform should: Reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government Protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs Guarantee choice of doctors and health plans Invest in prevention and wellness Improve patient safety and quality of care Assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans Maintain coverage when you change or lose your job End barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions