President Obama Talks to Katie Couric

Obama Talks Health Care Reform, Blue Dog Democrats, Illegal Immigrants

(CBS) 
Katie Couric: What about the Mayo Clinic? It criticized the House bill yesterday. Saying, quote, "The legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher quality more affordable health care for patients. And, in fact, it would do the opposite."

President Obama: Well, as you know, I've consistently cited the Mayo Clinic as an example of …

Katie Couric: I know you have. So this must have been particularly painful to hear.

President Obama: No, look Katie, I think that this is a very tough process. Because there's so many moving parts to it. And when I said that we can achieve serious cost savings, and improve delivery systems so that people are getting better value for the health care dollars that they're spending, Mayo Clinic's a good example of it.

And figuring out how we encourage other health systems to adopt the same kinds of approaches that Mayo adopts, that's a tricky process. Because it means we've got to change how doctors are reimbursed, and how hospitals are reimbursed. That's part of what we meant to discuss today with the House Democrats. And I think that by the time we actually have a bill completed, what you're going to see is encouraging precisely the kinds of things that the Mayo Clinic is doing. That, I think, will be proof that we've made real progress.

Katie Couric: A very big concern for a lot of people is keeping their health care policy in place. But if you create a public insurance plan, what's to keep an employer from telling his or her employees, "You know what? We're not going to provide health insurance. Get the government plan"?

President Obama: Well, first of all, I understand that about 14,000 people every day are losing their health insurance because employers just can't afford it anymore. And they're starting to drop plans. Or they're putting a huge amount of cost onto the employee.

And the employee decides I just can't afford this. So that's already happening. And that will continue to accelerate if we do nothing. What we've said is let's set up a public option that people can choose. Although we'll have some rules and regulations around it so that, if you're already getting health insurance from your employer, your employer can't just dump you into the public plan. But ..

Katie Couric: What will happen if, say, my employer tried to do that?

President Obama: Well, essentially, the employer would be informed that certain people would not be eligible for this public option if they've already got health insurance through their employer. Or the employer would have to pay the equivalent of the insurance that he was already providing.

So there is going to be mechanisms that prevent people from just dumping folks into the public option. Where the public option becomes important is to make sure that the small business person, who just can't afford health care at all, when they go to what we call an exchange, a marketplace that has private insurers out there, but also a public option, he or she can choose which option works best for them.

And, by having that public option, we're putting pressure on the insurance companies to make sure that they are keeping costs as low as possible, and they're giving the highest quality for the best price. What's always interesting to me is folks say that government can't run things.

And I actually agree that the private sector does a whole lot of things better than government can. Well, if that's the case, then insurance companies should be able to compete effectively with a public option. As long as it's not being subsidized by the government. And I've already said I wouldn't support a public option if it was simply just a way to have taxpayers subsidize folks heavily.

Katie Couric: Do you favor a government option that would cover abortions?

President Obama: What I think is important, at this stage, is not trying to micromanage what benefits are covered. Because I think we're still trying to get a framework. And my main focus is making sure that people have the options of high quality care at the lowest possible price.

As you know, I'm pro choice. But I think we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government funded health care. Rather than wade into that issue at this point, I think that it's appropriate for us to figure out how to just deliver on the cost savings, and not get distracted by the abortion debate at this station.

Katie Couric: Do you think any illegal immigrant should be eligible for health care under the new plan?

President Obama: No.

Katie Couric: No. Why not?

President Obama: First of all, I'd like to create a situation where we're dealing with illegal immigration so that we don't have illegal immigrants. And we've got legal residents or citizens who are eligible for the plan. And I want a comprehensive immigration plan that creates a pathway to achieve that.

The one exception that I think has to be discussed is how are we treating children? Partly because, if you've got children, who may be here illegally, but are still in playgrounds, and at schools and potentially are passing on illnesses, and communicable diseases, that's not …

Katie Couric: Aren't getting vaccinated.

President Obama: That aren't getting vaccinated. That's, I think, a situation in where you may have to make an exception.

Katie Couric: Mr. President, if the stimulus plan isn't really working, at least for now, why should Americans sign off on spending billions of dollars on health care reform?

President Obama: I disagree that the stimulus plan is not working. Think about where we've been. I think people maybe have a selective memory here. It was only four or five months ago that people thought we might go into a Great Depression. We have gone through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

And, since that time, we have stabilized the financial markets. We have created the ability of businesses to borrow again. We have prevented thousands of layoffs in states all across the country. We have made sure that people have extended unemployment insurance.

And that, if they lose their job, they can keep their health care. We've given a tax cut to 95 percent of working families. So are we where we need to be? Absolutely not. Would things be much worse if we had not put the recovery package in place? Absolutely.

Do we have a lot more work to do? We do. And, fortunately, we've still got a whole range of infrastructure projects, building roads and bridges, and laying broadband lines, that are going to put people back to work and lay the foundation for long term economic growth.

Katie Couric: But what's taking so long? Only about $60 billion of the nearly $500 billion of stimulus money has been dispersed. And a lot of people are saying, "What's taking so long?"

President Obama: Well, that's actually not entirely accurate. What you have is, first of all, the states have already received $144 billion of money, in terms of unemployment insurance, in terms of-- stabilization funds, so they don't have to lay off teachers, and firefighters and so forth.

Tax cuts have already been allocated. They went out back in April. So, in fact, about $500 billion of the total $800 billion recovery package was money that everybody agreed made sense. For tax cuts and to help states and to help individual families.

The money that's taken a while to get out is actually the money for infrastructure projects, but that's always the case. Because you can't start building a road or a bridge without making sure that the studies have been done. The engineering reports are there. And we don't want to waste this money.

And, by the way, this was always intended to be a two year project. Not a month to month project. But here's the larger point, Katie. Nobody thought that, given the severity of this economic crisis, that there was going to be any magic wand.

The recovery package was one part of a broader set of efforts to make sure that the financial system stabilized. We've got hundreds of thousands of people who are being helped by loan modifications through the homeowners project that we've put forward. We've got SBA loans that are going to small businesses all across the country.

And if we do continue to take all these various steps, in combination with reforming our health care system, setting up an energy plan that finally ends our dependence on foreign oil, and has serious financial regulatory reforms, so that we don't see banks doing the same things that they've been doing in the past, that's what's going to lay the foundation for long term economic growth. But this is not going to be easy. And I don't think anybody ever thought it would be.

Katie Couric: A recent online poll out today shows the number of Americans who trust you to find the right solutions to problems has fallen from 66 to 54 percent. And those who mistrust you have increased from 31 to 42 percent. Do you feel like the honeymoon's over?

President Obama: I never understood this concept of honeymoon. I think that, as soon as I took the job, on January 20, I think I was responsible. And that's what people expect from their presidents. That I take responsibility for the economy.

The economy is going through a rough period. And so, you know, nobody's more critical than I am of the need for us to create more jobs, to improve our health care system, to deal with our energy problems, and to make sure that our financial system works for families as opposed to just for fat cats on Wall Street.

We are moving, I believe, strongly in the right direction. But there are going to be ups and downs. And I think that, until people are confident that recovery has happened that's going to end up influencing people's broader opinions about whether we're moving in the right direction.

Katie Couric: President Obama, there was a stinging column in the New York Times today written by David Brooks. He says Democrats are losing touch with America because, quote, "The party is led by insular liberals from big cities and the coasts, who neither understand nor sympathize with moderates. They have their own cherry-picking pollsters, their own media and activist cocoon, their own plans to lavishly spend borrowed money to buy votes." He goes on to say that you have, basically, been co-opted by Nancy Pelosi. And you've differed to the, what he calls, old bulls on Capitol Hill.

President Obama: This was a really aggressive-[laughter]

Katie Couric: On issue after issue. [laughter] There was a pretty…

President Obama: Are we going to read the whole column here? [laughter]

Katie Couric: No, I'm not going to read - I'm not going to put you through that. But it was it was a tough column. And I'm just curious, A, have you read it? And, B, what's your response?

President Obama: I, you know, I don't spend a lot of time reading columns, Katie. The fact is that I am confident in the work that we're doing. And if you look at the steps we've taken on the recovery package, the steps that we've taken to reform things like the credit card industry, the legislation that we've been able to pass to prohibit tobacco companies to market to kids - each of these things, which had been sitting on the shelf for years, that we've been able to get done in the first six months, I think, is a testimony to the fact that we're moving America in the right direction.

But as long as the economy is still shedding jobs, and people don't feel confident about a recovery, then I think there's going to continue to be frustration. And rightfully so. I think people have to have high standards for, not only my performance as president, but the performance of government generally.

Reforming this town, and working through these problems that have been unattended to for decades - that's not an overnight process. It certainly doesn't get completed in six months. But ultimately, the report card that I'll be interested in is after we've seen the work of this year, and into next year, and we start seeing some of these plans bear fruit. I feel pretty confident that people are going to say we're finally moving beyond some of the gridlock in this town, and we're actually getting things done.

[grenzu]

i don't want to pay health care for illegals DONE!

[Joe_NY_15]

Can Obama make a speech tonight, or is he going to make a Read on the teleprompter ?

[speakinup22]

by alphaa10000 July 22, 2009 8:36 AM EDT
CALLING KENWOOD

kenwood171 said, "daffy64: Please tell us what information (fact) you are aware of that confirms "THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT A GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE OPTION"."
---

The "us" (to whom you refer) is already aware-- it is you who are missing the information.

1. CBS/NYTimes, June 20, 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/opinion/polls/main5098517.shtml - way down on the list of accurate pollsters for the election.

2. Quinnipiac, July 1, 2009
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1344
some obscure college poll.

3. Campaign for America's Future
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009062515/new-poll-shows-tremendous-support-public-health-care-option

* this poll was funded by a conservative research organization, heavily corporate-funded (WRONG - if you go here - you'll see it is a Democratic "Progressive site")

4. FiveThirtyEight
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/public-support-for-public-option.html

5. Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html


If you read your last source alphaa10000, you will plainly see it disagrees with your whole argument.

two of the other sources are Democratic controlled web sites. And CBS NBC polls placed near the bottom of the accuracy for the election coverage. At the top was Rasmussen, which has this issue at 41% popularity. AND THEN, 70 som e percent said they wouldn't use it, and of the remaining, most wanted to pay less than $500 a year.


$500 a year for medical care !
let me repeat that...

$500 a year for medical care !


Hell, that won't pay for five visits to the doctor, let alone if you had surgery.


So, ONCE AGAIN you libs want to wreck our coverage, inflate the currency, so you can get something for nothing.

[TheMasses2009]

Maobama the Muslum.
TOTUS addicted community organizing idiot.

[erasmus111]

by Joe_NY_15 July 22, 2009 1:51 PM EDT

Anyone watching or listening to tonight's newconference, just listen to how badly Barry whistles his S's at the end of every word....very annoying for someone who is such a 'great orator'...bordering on a speech impediment.....


Like I said, I think you have to be one of the most ignorant people I have seen on here.

I bet you are one of those bullys that gets great joy out of ridiculing others. And I also bet that you are the one with the biggest flaws.

[Joe_NY_15]

Wait, Erasmus, I thought Obama was the greatest orator to ever become President ? excuse me for noticing him whistling his S's like a freakin' boiling teapot, sorry I noticed his annoying whistle....I don't make fun of any person's limitations or flaws, unless they claim to be the greatest (as is the case with King Obama), then I need to point it out....maybe others are equally irritated by his speech problem.

How does noticing his annoying whistle, somehow make me "ignorant"....quite the opposite, it is my knowledge that teaches me not to treat people like demi-gods, or worship Liberalism as your(dems) religion.

[Joe_NY_15]

Anyone watching or listening to tonight's newconference, just listen to how badly Barry whistles his S's at the end of every word....very annoying for someone who is such a 'great orator'...bordering on a speech impediment.....now back to the substance of the "prime time" speech, is to fool the American people AGAIN...for the 100th time....into supporting his desire to get everyone on welfareCare, whether they want it or not, virtually destroying all private insurance and denying anyone from getting ANY private insurance after the bill is signed....(see page 16 of the bill)......STOP THIS MADNESS NOW !!!

Whistle your S's while you read !!!! (the teleprompter)

[speakinup22]

alphaa10000 - maybe you repeated this good post further up, it seems hard to follow any threads with CBS's new format. I think it is worth repeating, but I have some rebuttal.


kenwood171 said, "daffy64: Please tell us what information (fact) you are aware of that confirms "THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT A GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE OPTION"."
---

1. CBS/NYTimes, June 20, 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/opinion/polls/main5098517.shtml

aplha - please note that this article was 72% according to a CBS poll. CBS's poll results are not usually the most accurate. In the election results they were way down the list (I think 16th) when compared to say Rasmussen. Source: http://www.fordham.edu/images/academics/graduate_schools/gsas/elections_and_campaign_/poll%20accuracy%20in%20the%202008%20presidential%20election.pdf

2. Quinnipiac, July 1, 2009
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1344


Alpha - in this article, while 69% did like the idea of a government health care plan, most would not use it; AND, most were happy with their current plan. From what I'm hearing, those plans would be devastated. BTW, who is Quinnipiac University anyway - how do I know where their polling sample was taken ?

From the article:

"Although 69 percent of voters nationwide say Americans should have the option of government- run health insurance, only 28 percent would choose to be covered by it, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Voters say 49 - 45 percent they would pay more to reform health care, but a total of 72 percent DON'T WANT TO PAY MORE THAN $500 A YEAR (something for nothing!)

"Of the 88 percent of American voters who have some form of health insurance, 49 percent are "very satisfied" with their plan and 36 percent are "somewhat satisfied."


3. Campaign for America's Future
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009062515/new-poll-shows-tremendous-support-public-health-care-option

This is a "Progressive" (read Democratic) blog site, which eliminates all possibility of unbias results. So you flat out LIED to us in the below statement.

* this poll was funded by a conservative research organization, heavily corporate-funded

4. FiveThirtyEight
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/public-support-for-public-option.html

On this site Rasmussen is shown as saying only 40% of the population supports the Health care issue. Rasmussen tied for first place in the election poll accuracy. the other 5 were spread between 60 and 80 (2 from kaiser, Lake Research, Consumer's Union & EBRI) weren't big enough polling companies to be in the research in the source I gave.

BTW - according to your source Consumer's Union, "They take a somewhat unabashedly liberal view on health care reform and the poll was released in conjunction with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. The Consumers Union' generally spends several hundred thousand dollars on lobbying activities each year."

According to your source: "Lake Research Partners is a Democratic polling firm. Their poll was conducted on behalf of Health Care for America Now! (HCAN), an advocacy group that wants comprehensive health care reform and strongly favors the public option.

Slightly bias towards your opinion isn't it ?

5. Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html

Alph - while this article is good, the author quotes nbc/wallstreet and CBS polls to make his point of the percentage that want healthcare. Both rated low in the source I gave.

It does have an unbias point, which the President has not answered, and will not allow us to hear about athough he said he'd be transparent on all issues, especially this one, the COST of this Health care.

From your source, "So why the stall? Mainly because Congress can't decide how to pay for it. The hardest blow came last week when the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the trial-balloon bill emerging from the Senate Health Committee would cost a whopping $1 trillion over 10 years and would cover only a fraction of Americans currently without health care."

I find your sources marginally support your argument, and prove "reform" will cause inflation in spite of not many using it.

The below was supportive of your point of view, but you excluded the cost issue, which came in the paragraph immediately preceding the one below. (of course the WSJ didn't call Republicans "bozos" That was your editorization after you plagerzied the article.

"Interestingly, GOP bozos went completely silent while Bush doubled the national debt to $10.7 trillion, and then became fiscal budget hawks on something so critical as national healthcare....


Note to conservatives - ALWAYS check the liberal's sources, usually they are looking for facts to support their opinions, instead of formulating their opinions after reading the facts.

[6591Hou]

Graphical attempt at explaining:

Let's accept the fact that Bush & co. left a huge mess for Obama & co. to deal with..............<------okay, that's over there now as a given, $$$$ lot's of money dedicated to addressing that....

Now on top of the $$$$ dedicated to dealing with that given, Obama wants to dedicate $$$$$ to deal with ------->the healthcare system as it exists today.

Therein lies the rub for a lot of voters, all of the $$$$ going out....
<-------$$$$ and $$$$$-----> it's not a question of any political affiliation, it's a question of scared people who haven't seen the benefit yet of <-----$$$$ and are reluctant to dedicate ---->$$$$$ when they're not certain that the economy will grow enough to support the expenditure, or if it will be held back from growing because of that expense.

[Joe_NY_15]

Obama reads the teleprompter and then tells Katie what the screen says....would be a more accurate headline.

[cydygitt1]

More of that republiCON fixation on teleprompters, much like the conspiracy theorists not satisfied with President Obama's birth certificate that was placed online for everyone to see, and the state of Hawaii that confimed it as well.

These moronic republiCONS continue to crash and burn with less and less credibility with all the attacks through anger and racism!

[Joe_NY_15]

Sorry for noticing your great orator is nothing but an S-whistling Teleprompter reader....that's it.....he reads what he's told to say.

So Obama isn't talking with Katie, he's reading with Katie....TOTUS !
(Teleprompter of the United States, the real prez)

[diddle123]

You know you people out here scare the hell out of me. You all think Bush GW was a honest person and worse than that you think Palin is intelligent. People that think this I feel America has let you down on your education. You need to go back to school.

[alien_view]

While we are at it why don't we pay for the health care for the rest of the world too. The liberals can find some way to get them to vote in the next election, since valid voters does not count any more according to our courts. Let see there are 100 voters in my city. 50 votes went to R, 50 votes went to D.....now ACORN has come up with 1000 hand written votes for D that were not counted. What is wrong with this picture if there are only 100 voters. You have to love the way our government is being bought and paid for with your tax dollars and you are doing nothing about it. Liberal D's buy votes anyway you can get them and we will get the courts to back you and we will pay you back for your efforts. I am waiting for an inrush of people from other countries coming here for our free everything for illegals and their families.

[onesword]

Working for a health insurance company I've witnessed how this industry changed since my employment in 1999. From a Ma and Pa operation to a billion dollar corporation. Wonder how that happen? Coming from a company who cared about the health and well being of the elderly to a profit driven corportation. I've witnessed this company go through so many changes for the name of profit.

[cydygitt1]

That happened very simply through GREED and having the foxes guard the henhouse as the republiCONS have always fought for less regulation.

[erasmus111]

by Joe_NY_15 July 22, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
You have that opinion, because you are living in a dream world of insurance companies out to get you......OUR HEALTCARE IS FINE....we don't need to destroy america to insure those who don't have insurance.


It's you that is living in a dream world, and it's actually unbelievable how ignorant you are.

Instead of spewing crap about something you know nothing about, maybe you should go to the story "RNC Chair Attacks Obama On Health Care" and read the posts on the last page. You might learn something. If you are capable, that is.

[Joe_NY_15]

I've read it, what's your point aboot ? ey ?

[cydygitt1]

Yep, little joey is certainly living in a dream world devoid of any rational thought processes, still spewing the same old tired rhetoric that "our health care is fine," when it is obviously unsustainable!

[Joe_NY_15]

citydiddy or whatever, what is un-sustainable is the massive spending and debt that your party is putting on the backs of the American taxpayers....why don't you care ?

[hamiltongrad]

What about Free Legal Services for all people, making less than one zillion dollars a year ?

Why are only Lawyers paid by the hour ? Why not bundle services and pay by that goal, like a civil suit, or a divorce. I would bet all these actions would be cleared up in a few hours, not several months or years ! And We all know that MEDICAL Costs are really driven by lawsuits. The real savings for all of us would be 50 % DECREASE in MEDICAL COSTS and the COST to run ANY Business.

Look, The constitution guarntees that we have rights ... until we have gov't backed free legal services we can not assume that any of these rights are there.

[cydygitt1]

See, this is why you republiCONS are so marginalized today.

The malpractice INSURANCE has been raised through the roof in order to counteract the losses that these INSURANCE bozos have lost through their investments just like in 2001, since this is their main source of income. The doctors are paying through the nose for their losses.

Tort reform will NOT REDUCE health care costs in the least, but this is the idiotic republiCONS only talking point while having NO SOLUTIONS!

[Joe_NY_15]

Anyone watching or listening to tonight's newconference, just listen to how badly Barry whistles his S's at the end of every word....very annoying for someone who is such a 'great orator'...bordering on a speech impediment.....now back to the substance of the "prime time" speech, is to fool the American people AGAIN...for the 100th time....into supporting his desire to get everyone on welfareCare, whether they want it or not, virtually destroying all private insurance and denying anyone from getting ANY private insurance after the bill is signed....(see page 16 of the bill)......STOP THIS MADNESS NOW !!!

[erasmus111]

"Anyone watching or listening to tonight's newconference, just listen to how badly Barry whistles his S's at the end of every word....very annoying for someone who is such a 'great orator'...bordering on a speech impediment..."


You know, you are actually quite a pathetic and disgusting person.

I can only take it that you are one of the greedy, corrupt, rich, or the biggest idiot in America. Which either way, I guess you are still an idiot. You like being sucked dry of your money? You like being taken for a ride by your insurance companies and drug companies? Because that is exactly what is happening. I just find it amazing how brain washed some of you are. We pay way less for our health care, drugs, we all have the BEST care, and we never have to worry about losing everything we own. You like being a sucker?

[Joe_NY_15]

You have that opinion, because you are living in a dream world of insurance companies out to get you......OUR HEALTCARE IS FINE....we don't need to destroy america to insure those who don't have insurance.

And, please mind your own business and stop trying to inject your pathetic country's systems on our own.....otherwise we would be called the united states of cannucks.....no thanks

[cydygitt1]

Joe_NY_15 ridiculously states:
"You have that opinion, because you are living in a dream world of insurance companies out to get you......OUR HEALTCARE IS FINE...."
-----------------------------

Delusional!

Our health care system is a cesspool of waste and abuse by for-profit insurance companies making decisions that should be made by physicians and patients.

Even the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute at least acknowledge that the current debacle is unsustainable and unaffordable, so when are you Kool-aid guzzlin' foxnewsus propagandus republiCONS finally going to start 'thinking' for yourselves and understand we need health care reform immediately?

[Joe_NY_15]

WE DON'T need healthcare reform immediately

[imprisoncheney]

Yes, Katy . . . stick to the Foxsnooze talking points, by all means -- we wouldn't want to "upset" Bill O'Really? or Sean Insannity (who's busy with his gay lover's divorce trial, and all) - would we?????

Why, they might actually say BAD things(!) about you and CBS News . . . like, you're socialists! or communists!! or liberals!!!! -- just b/c you dare to disagree with them!!!! -- on anything!!!!!

Ohhhh! It's not to be tolerated!!!!!!!

Please. Stop pretending these fascist pimps are a legitimate part of the political discourse in this country -- they serve only one purpose: the promotion of Fascist Christianity -- and only one master: the current Fuerher preaching from the pulpit on C Street.

Is it a secret? or something?

Their idols are Hitler and Stalin (among other psychotic creeps) . . . go figure.

But you stick to their script, Katy . . . wouldn't want to ever be confused with Walter Cronkite, would you?

[maramara2]

I love this president because he knows what to say. He is determined to work against big interest for the common man. If people like Jim Demint hate him, let them eat my askkkk

[cydygitt1]

Yep....when the rabid republiCONS continue to rail against everything that President Obama says and does, you know damned well that he's on the correct path to helping the middle class over the interests of BIG BIZ paying off the CONServitards!

[panhandlpete]

A point to ponder....swine flu looms on the WHO horizon. Drug companies are working overtime to have the vaccine ready by September, Australia is now engaged in the first human test trials....congress passes the new health insurance plan soon....Will its first act be to vaccinate all and build that personal medical database on each of us? Roll up your sleeves and be the first to take that (?) shot? You may have NO choice!

I do not like the new health INSURANCE plan as its focus is not on the health of citizens, but rather it is a "legacy" tool crafted for the benefit of politicians. The drug companies are being granted a 12 year monopoly/protection on their biotech drugs developed. (Does this help to lower the cost to shut out generic brands? Will there be any constraints on 'how much' profit the drug companies can make?)

Who wrote all the provisions in this health care bill, since no one member of Congress will admit to having read it? After it gets passed in segments, then a NEW final bill will get written, and we will be stuck with it.......surprise, surprise......but life will go on.

[patronejohn]

It's funny...people will stand in line for a big beef burrito but won't stand in line for an MRI....what a country.

[proud_churchgoer]

Whats with Couric? She looks like a man now.

[cydygitt1]

Nah....that's the rabid annie coulter that looks like a man!

[Benton09]

Republicans just hate that an intelligent, cool, calm, collected, savy Obama is in the White House. They like the good 'ol boy, stupid, redneck, bribeable variety like we've had the past 8. The best they can come up with is 'Paw Paw McCain', Sarah the Sl*t, Mormon Mitt, etc.
They might as well go with Rush Limpnuts in 2012, he seems to be the best they have. Start the campaign Rush, 'An Oxycontin Bottle in every medicine cabinet, if Jumping Jelly Belly and his Brainwashed Minions get selected in 2012.

[Joe_NY_15]

Of course, when the cool calm collected Obama is a totally unqualified community organizer, occupying the office of President, with a wish to destroy America as we know it....of course you aren't going to get a warm cozy welcome, while destroying America before our eyes.