Obama Tries to Reclaim Health Care Debate

(CBS)  As Americans observe this unofficial last weekend of summer, the Obama administration is gearing up for a busy week and relaunching its massive push for health care reform.

Today, President Obama's top advisors hit the airwaves. The debate on capitol hill is heating up again and on Wednesday the president takes his case directly to the public, as CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports.

After months of speeches, interviews and town hall meetings, this Wednesday, the President will tell Congress and the American people something they haven't heard before: exactly what he wants to see in health care reform.

As White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs put it, "people will leave that speech knowing where he stands."

That may answer whether President Obama will insist on the controversial "public option," a government-provided health insurance alternative. The White House was still avoiding directly answering that question today.

"He believes the public option is a good tool," White House adviser David Axelrod said today. "It shouldn't define the whole health care debate, however."

But after the media read that soundbyte as a retreat from the public option - the White House fired back that it's still on their preferred option. It's just not a deal-breaker.

Until now, the White House has resisted drafting its own bill - instead, offering general ideas. The president wanted Congress to come up with the specifics in bipartisan legislation so he wouldn't be accused of dictating a plan, or some critics say risk his personal prestige backing individual parts of the bill.

But that's given the president's opposition free rein to frame the debate.

And the intense media focus on the normal, ugly bruising process of drafting any bill - the political squabbling, the missed deadlines - has turned the American public off. They've blamed the president, and now he's got to win them back.

"This is probably a make-or-break week for the president's health care plan," said Politico senior editor David Mark.

Mr. Obama's national approval rating has dropped to 56 percent, according to a Sept. 1 CBS News poll. That's the lowest to date during his term and down from 68 percent in April. But he's still arguably the most popular politician in the land.

"They still very much like the president personally," Marks aid. "So I think he's going to use his own starpower to try and sell that to Congress."

One thing it has done is spooked some of those lawmakers into action. Sen. Max Baucus is convening the main group working on the senate version of the bill Tuesday, to try to come up with their version, before the president takes control of the debate.

[janun1]

I am reading all ur comments ; but not one has had anything happen to them now with this going on -- i work for well-know pharmacy retail store - we have been informed they are dropping their HMO's for their employees and going the route of ppo's to save their company millions of dollars. This seems to me to result from this health insurance bill. I am a middle class person who needs health coverage also . This change to a PPO is going to end up costing me more in the long run - co-insurance, deductibles, out of pocket expense, etc. Is this New health bill going to help us all low income, middle , etc . or break us ( money out per month ) ?

[Ilikemyfreedom]

Could someone ask the following request of President Obama..."President Obama, could you supply a copy of your Health Care Reform Plan?" As he was trying to reclaim the debate, he continued to refer to his 'plan'. Has anyone actually seen it? Would like an opportunity to read it. He discussed how his 'plan' has been misrepresented, making reference to Sarah Palin's 'death panels' or stating that his 'plan', illegals will not be covered. Also, he has repeated many times, if we like our coverage, we can keep our coverage.
Not asking for the moon, just a copy of President Obama's Heath Care Reform Plan. Anyone else curious?

[HPM2009]

President Obama did an excellent job sharing his ideas and beliefs about the health care system and changes last night. Unmentioned details that are imperative to discuss, however, are transparency, employer and employee engagement, transportable medical records and increased competition. Wrapped around the removal of impediments to competition, all of the above will allow the private market to thrive. The call for increased accountability on the part of the nation?s businesses requires more than a mandate to insure ? give cost-cutting technology to the entities paying the bills, as they have the greatest motive to find waste, overcharging, lower prices and alternative medical solutions. The end result of this is that the private market will force the insurers to be competitive. When transparency and alternatives are absent, consumers suffer from higher prices, fewer services and less choice - which is where we stand right now.

Keith Lemer
WellNet
http://www.wellnethealthcare.com

[govmess]

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different...
Two Different Versions! .................
Two Different Morals!


OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying u p supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper n ext to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing,
'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.


Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

[vdema-2009]

If the proposed health plan is so great,why are all members of congress and the major unions exempt from it? The people writing this legislation and those in congress supporting it will not explain how it will NOT destroy small businesses who now provide employee health insurance. Ask the President to explain why this proposed health care bill SPECIFICALLY WILL NOT ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO NEGOTIATE DRUG PRICES???? Do these people know what they are proposing,or is it just a power grab?

[nmben]

A bill birthed by Grassley and Baucus is not change we can believe in. This is just another way of giving the health insurance companies 40 million more hostages.


The President needs to take charge of the most important agenda of his presidency. Wednesday, he needs to come out in a clear and compelling way for a robust health reform plan, with the public option at its core.

He needs to return to the Iowa winter and Virginia spring, the hunger, the dream - all that was hopeful and lofty.

[govmess]

The Tea Pary Express just completed their rally in New Lenox/Joliet, IL which is just outside of Barack Obama's bastion of Chicago. And they had by far the largest crowd yet! GO AMERICAN, STOP HIS POLITICAL ARROGANCE!!!

[healthcareformymom]

Health Care and my Mom

This blog is to follow the responses from the government and the media following a letter I sent on supporting healthcare reform. I plan to post all responses no matter what the content as the healthcare reform continues to struggle for life just as my Mom does.

http://reformformymom.blogspot.com/

[alanrobisch]

Hungry I hate to break this to you but presidents often present bills to congress just as clinton did in the early 90's. It simply didn't work. there was open debate no town hall meetings and yet it failed. It seems the inherent idea does not resonate with a majority of americans. Medicare and Medicaid are govt run health care and they are bleeding us dry. Medicare due to the baby boomer aging will soon be insolvent without significant increases in taxes or reduction in cost. It seems that the need is for incentives to be given the average user of health care to use it responsibly. When somehting is essentially free like Medicare people will use it at will without any concern for cost.

[hungry1968-16]

by Northyorksailor September 7, 2009 12:45 PM EDT
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/14c4467822/government-health-care







It was childish and boring.

I had to turn it off, 20 seconds in.

I don't know if it was pro or against health care reform, but please grow up.