It's Health Insurance, Not Health Care, For Obama

By: Mark Knoller
Topics: Health Care

(AP)

Instead of "health care reform," President Obama made it clear he is really calling for "health insurance reform" at his primetime news conference Wednesday evening.

He used the phrase five times in his opening statement.

"Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must rebuild it stronger than before. And health insurance reform is central to that effort," he said.

The White House clearly thinks that reforming health insurance is an easier concept to sell to Congress and the American people than a massive revamping of the health care system.

The prime time news conference in the East Room was not the first time Mr. Obama has used that formulation, but it was the most frequent.

As part of his revised sales pitch, Mr. Obama wanted to answer the questions he thinks Americans are asking about his health care plan: "What's in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?" (There was that phrase again.)

His arguments were the ones we've been hearing for months: more health care security and stability, coverage for everyone, no denials for pre-existing conditions, lower costs for patients and less deficit spending for the government.

He was adamant in stating that "health insurance reform" will not add to the federal deficit over the next decade. "And I mean it," he said as punctuation to the pledge.

The president fired back at Republicans who he said are spreading "a lot of misinformation" about his plan. And he was more forceful than even before in asserting he will not be defeated by them.

"I'm the president, and I think this has to get done," he said.

He also stood his ground in demanding that the House and Senate each pass a health care bill before embarking on their August recess, after being asked, why the rush?

"I'm rushed because I get letters every day from families that are being clobbered by health care costs," he said. "And they ask me, 'Can you help?'"

But that's not the only reason, he said.

"If you don't set deadlines in this town, things don't happen," argued Mr. Obama. In Washington, he said, "the default position is inertia."

He charged that some opponents want to defeat him on health care for political gain.

"This is not about me," he said. "I've got the best health care in the world. I'm trying to make sure that everybody has good health care, and they don't right now."

He said he would be willing to accept the same health care benefits to be offered in the government plan, but conceded it's not an option at the moment.

"I'm the president of the United States, so I've got a doctor following me every minute," Mr. Obama noted.

More Coverage of Obama's Press Conference:

Obama: Changes Will Make People Healthier

Full Transcript Full Video

Obama: Cops Acted "Stupidly" in Professor's Arrest

Obama: "Why Not Pay Half Price?"

Obama: Banks Will Act Recklessly Without Reform

Bob Schieffer: Obama Trying to Take Control

Reality Check: Do Obama's Health Care Claims Hold Up?

Jindal Pans Obama's "Marketing" of Health Plan?

Obama's "Stupid" Comment Disappoints Cop

More Video: Opening Statement On Professor Gates Sacrifices For Healthcare Reform? Politics of Medicare Instant Analysis from Bob Schieffer and Nancy Cordes

(CBS)

Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

Mark Knoller
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent.
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by mld678 August 3, 2009 3:36 PM EDT: Universal healthcare isn't the way to go. America?s legal crisis is putting employees out of work, raising consumer prices and driving down shareholder value. We need to address the country?s litigation explosion and make the legal system simpler, and fairer. The priorities of Friends of the U.S. Chamber are significant now
http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/issues/index.cfm?ID=306; Reply to this comment


by tautomer July 23, 2009 9:08 PM EDT: The solution is really quite simple. Simply have everyone purchase their own Health Care. In this way Demand for Health Care will automatically adjust to that which is affordable, prices will decline. It is insane to keep bidding up prices on health care through artificial means. When high cost hospitals find their beds empty and high cost doctors find their offices empty prices will decline. Automatically, with no government regulation.; Reply to this comment


by tautomer July 23, 2009 8:37 PM EDT: Obama knows he's been caught red-handed trying to slip a multi-trillion dollar boondoggle over on the American people. Even his own party members can't stomach his tripe. Obama is reduced to changing his story for political expedience, he's a follower.

Obama has never had the huevos to go after the true drivers of Medical Costs... the lawyers (afterall he is a lawyer), the doctors and the insurance industry. After all they contributed heavily to his campaign, same as Wall Street did!!!

It was funny, last night, when he created fictitious "Republican Strategists" who he "heard" were plotting against him. It's not Republicans, it's anyone who has a brain...Democrats, Republicans and Independents. It's people who understand what a Trillion Dollars really is!!!

The funniest part was when Obama tried to claim that without his Health Care Boondoggle" he wouldn't reduce the Federal Deficit!!! LMAO...He's quadrupled the deficit! Nobody EVER believed he reduce it. Now suddenly he offers this lame excuse.

OBAMA = One Big Azz Mistake America!!!; Reply to this comment


by Ferrell-2 July 23, 2009 6:00 PM EDT: I have no comments because nothing has been approved nor do we know exactly what will be approved, if at all. We need medical reform but none of us know what the final bill will look like.I'm going to wait and then unload on them. From the way things are going in Congress, it will be months before a hard copy is given to the president.There will be lots of fireworks before that happens.; Reply to this comment


by Rubeem July 23, 2009 4:19 PM EDT: He is 'spinning' again !! ! Call it several different names.... confuse the people even more...... there are at least 3 versions of his proposed plan floating around the Capitol....... NO ONE has read either one in its entirety because it keeps on changing, this or that being added, or amended....... change the name and it is another revision. It is POLITICS, POLITICS, POLITICS ! ! Whatever will enhance, promote or otherwise benefit political careers ! ! ! !; Reply to this comment

by TheMasses2009 July 23, 2009 2:34 PM EDT

It's Health Insurance, Not Health Care, For Obama
--------------------------------
I'm sure he doesn't know nor care what it is as he and the rest of Congress never read anything they pass.
Now that's stupid!

Reply to this comment


by TheMasses2009 July 23, 2009 3:33 PM EDT: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I just ate my neighbor then!


by rjstolba July 23, 2009 2:03 PM EDT: INSURANCE REORM OR IMPROVED HEALTH CARE--WHO REALLY GIVES A ___!! LET'S GET ON WITH IT. THIS GREAT NATION OF OURS CANNOT SIT IDLY BY AND LET ADULTS AND CHILDREN SUFFER ILLNESSES THAT WE MORE FORTUNATE GET TAKEN CARE OF IMMEDIATELY.; Reply to this comment

by vista8635 July 23, 2009 12:42 PM EDT

The most elegant and simple Universal Health Care solution is to roll Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Health Administration into a Unified National Plan. Then citizens who choose to join the plan would simply contribute taxes to the National Plan, like they do for Social Security. Problem solved!

People who choose not to join can pay for private insurance.

Universal Health Care is the only system that can truly reduce costs for all Americans. Unfortunately the usual suspects killed it in its cradle. True health care reform has been defeated ? again.

Reply to this comment


by anti-global2 July 23, 2009 1:27 PM EDT: If they would have said people enrolling in a universal care plan would have to pay for it through an increase in their tax, while those of us that want to keep our current plan would see no increase I don't think you would have seen much resistance.
This is not what they said. They said those making over a certain amount would pay more to cover those making less or nothing. They were alos saying we would have to scale down the level of care we recieve under good insurance, and then use the money saved on us to offset the costs of those with less.


by hungry1968-16 July 23, 2009 11:27 AM EDT: by TryTakingMyMoney July 23, 2009 10:15 AM EDT
Snake oil salesman! This is about taking from the elderly and giving it to minorities and illegals. His Waterloo is upon him! Prepare to rejoin the anti-American Rev. Wright

So who do you consider the elderly, disabled, handicapped, and unemployed to be - "illegals" or "minorities"?; Reply to this comment


by TryTakingMyMoney July 23, 2009 10:15 AM EDT: Snake oil salesman! This is about taking from the elderly and giving it to minorities and illegals. His Waterloo is upon him! Prepare to rejoin the anti-American Rev. Wright; Reply to this comment