Obama Rallies Nurses in Push for Health Care Reform

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Health Care

5299270The morning after his special address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform, President Obama on Thursday once again turned to nurses to keep his push for health care reform alive.

"Nurses, you have a lot of crediblity. You touch a lot of people's lives. People trust you," Mr. Obama said to the American Nurses Association in Washington. "If you're out there saying it's time for us to act, we need to go ahead and make a change... then we will bid farewell to the days when our health care system was a source of worry to families and a drag on our economy."

The president first rallied support from the American Nurses Association for his health care plan in July, when he said the country was "closer than ever" to comprehensive reform.

Since then, the president lost control of the dialogue surrounding the debate as lies and partisan arguments took hold at town hall meetings across the country. Mr. Obama laid out on Wednesday night what he wants from a health care reform plan, and he repeated those goals on Thursday: insurance market regulations, a health insurance exchange, and preferably a government-run insurance plan, or "public option."

"Few people understand as well as you why today's health care system so badly needs reform," Mr. Obama told the nurses.

He cited new data from the Census Bureau showing that the poverty rate increased last year at the highest rate since the early 1990's and that the number of uninsured rose in 2008. In the last 12 months, he said, it's estimated the number of uninsured grew by nearly 6 million, while 8 million people lost their employer-provided coverage.

Full CBSNews.com coverage of the president's speech on health care:

Obama Tells Congress to Stop Bickering

Full Video Full Transcript Speech Highlights

GOP Response: "It's Time to Start Over"

Marc Ambinder: Will Obama's Sales Job Work?

Mark Knoller: Obama Willing to Compromise — Up to a Point

Was Obama Clear on the Public Option?

Ted Kennedy's Letter to Obama

Rep. Wilson Swipes the Spotlight

Analysis: The Road Ahead for Health Care

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by sfg925 September 11, 2009 9:31 PM EDT

Frankly I am a nurse, nurses are educated under the "medical model" for example treating dis-ease and not providing much (if any) prevention modalities.

Nurses are generally women and see the hurt, the despair of a family without health insurance etc. At the same time, because we have been "taught" under the medical model, I personally believe nurses should NOT support this issue. It does not support long term viability of our country.

Additionally, not ALL nurses support the OBAMA proposal, because many of us recognize that the burden will NOT fall on the big companies, but on the small to medium size businesses in America. This WILL eventually bankrupt even further America!

The "health care" solution currently proposed does not include ANYTHING related to prevention and education of how to prevent dis-ease, nor does it include restrictions on drug companies for Direct to Consumer Advertising of Drugs (did you know that ONLY two countries allow direct to consumer advertising of drugs--(i.e via TV, Printed advertisements etc)..YES folks the US is oneof those countries!). Note: If you see and hear something often enough---You will believe it will happen or you will have the symptoms.

The proposed "health care" plan is a "dis-ease" treatment plan--designed to take more and more out of the working person's paycheck and more and more out of the small to medium size business owner's profits. (While the big "wally marts" get away with hiring part-time and providing no benefits to their employees.

Also, there is a concerted effort to "lasso" and capture natural substances, including vitamins, minerals and supplements and put them under "Codex" regulations-which will help "eliminate" our ability to access "natural cures".....

Our current farming --policies support corn and corn syrup products (that produce fat in bodies) rather than apples, cherries and other antioxidant rich nutrients.

We've given up our farms, our choices for antioxidant rich nutrients, and many other things.....

Is the choice now...to give up our businesses as well as our health possibilties?? Not only for ourselves, but for future generations?

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by marehaz September 13, 2009 7:11 PM EDT: I too am a nurse and I don't know where you went to school but we are not taught under the medical model. Haven't been for many many years. And most nursing programs do deal with the three levels of prevention and address primary prevention in particular. Our goal is to keep people well and healthy or get them to their optimum level of health.

I'm not sure what your point is when you say that nurses are primarily women...yes we are...but we also have an increasing percentage of men in our profession...but again, not sure of the relevance to the issue.

One of the goals of the reform is to put a push into primary prevention and that's an area where nurses would be able to contribute a great deal.


by firewolfrn September 11, 2009 4:35 PM EDT: I am exceedingly concerned when I view the governments track record and see the way Medicare and Medicaid are already abused. It would seem so much wiser to fix what is already in place and then seek to create a new form of healthcare. There is so much fraud already, and abuse of the present system. It does not seem that the government can keep what it is already doing running well.; Reply to this comment


by valleywiz September 10, 2009 3:02 PM EDT: I hope endurorob_2 doesn't have a major health crisis, and spends his or her hard earned money paying for the bills that the insurance company will deny to pay.; Reply to this comment


by SBCpres September 10, 2009 1:54 PM EDT: This is an important year for legislation in America. The outcome of health care reform will impact upon the President's entire legislative agenda. As Ted Kennedy wrote, this is not merely about the "details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country." The proposed health plan is crucial for the physical and economic well being of Americans, it is also vital for the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Passing health care reform is important in its own right, but it is also important because its failure will impede passage of future legislation, and failure to pass the clean energy act may represent an even greater threat to the health and security of Americans. Below are excerpts of President Obama's health care address to a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009.; Reply to this comment


by woeisme1 September 10, 2009 1:35 PM EDT: Two more trolls blathering as usual. Just cosmic accusations. No facts. No ideas. No nothing as usual from the party of nothing and no.; Reply to this comment