Obama Tells Congress to Stop Bickering
Updated at 11:45 p.m. ET
Speaking before a special joint session of Congress this evening, President Obama laid out to legislators and the American people his goals for health care reform -- goals that he says incorporate both Democratic and Republican ideas.
After a tedious summer in which the dialogue surrounding health care reform spun out of the president's control, Mr. Obama gave his address tonight in an attempt to clarify his priorities and set the legislative process back on track.
Health care reform, the president said, should meet three basic goals: more security and stability for those with health insurance, access to insurance for those who do not have it, and ways to slow the growth of health care costs. (Read the president's full remarks here.)
"The time for bickering is over," Mr. Obama said. "Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care."
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
The president told the Congress he continues to seek common ground -- but he issued a warning to opponents of his plan who have used lies and exaggerations to fight it.
"My door is always open," he said. "But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it... If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now."
Mr. Obama said Americans have grown nervous about reform because of misinformation. He alluded to claims from former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin that his plan would establish "death panels."
"The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens," he said. "Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."
The president also disputed claims that illegal immigrants would be covered under his plan, that federal dollars would be used to fund abortions, or that his plan amounts to a "government takeover" of health care.
His comments elicited a rowdy response from the Congress, with South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!" after Mr. Obama said no illegal immigrants would be covered. (Watch Congress jeer the president during his speech.)
Wilson later released a statement apologizing for his behavior.
The president also spurred some laughter from the Congress when he said, "While there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe a broad consensus exists" on many aspects of reform.
As for the most contentious issue, a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option," the president said it "is only a means to that end - and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal" of ending insurance company abuses and making coverage affordable.
He insisted, though, that it would be an effective means of keeping the private market in check, "the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities." (Watch President Obama's remarks on the public option.)
"It's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight," Mr. Obama said. "But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated... It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles."
He stressed that a public option would be optional - with less than 5 percent of Americans estimated to sign up - and would be on a level playing field with private companies.
CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer said that Mr. Obama may have been signaling to Democrats that they should forgo the public option.
"He was saying to the liberals in his own party, 'Look, we're not going to get this public, government-run insurance program that you're insisting on, but there are a lot of things that we can get done, very significant things," Schieffer said. "He is saying, 'Don't miss the forest for the trees here.'" (Watch more of Schieffer's analysis.)
Mr. Obama said alternatives such as nonprofit cooperatives are worth exploring.
"But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice," he said. "And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need."
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
The president noted that it has been nearly a century since the federal government first called for health care reform under former President Theodore Roosevelt.
"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last," he said.
Mr. Obama said that the stalled debate has brought the country to a breaking point, with soaring health care costs burdening many Americans with extraordinary financial hardship.
"These are not primarily people on welfare," he said. "These are middle-class Americans."
The president said his proposals would cost around $900 billion over 10 years -- "less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration," he said.
The president repeated his common mantra that under his plan, no one who currently has health insurance will be required to change their coverage or their doctor.
"Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have," he said.
The plan, Mr. Obama said, will prohibit insurance companies from denying consumers coverage because of pre-existing conditions. It will also prohibit rescission, the practice of dropping customers' coverage after they get sick, along with caps on coverage. It will limit out-of-pocket expenses. Insurance companies would be required to cover routine checkups and preventive care.
"That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives," he said.
The president argued for the creation of a health insurance exchange to keep people insured, even if they lose their job or decide to start a business. He also advocated a mandate for all Americans to acquire insurance and tax credits for those who cannot afford coverage. (Watch the president call for an individual mandate.)
To prove he is serious about keeping his plan deficit neutral, the president called for a provision to require more spending cuts if the savings promised do not materialize.
"Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for - from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy," the president said to great applause from Democrats and some Republicans. "I will not make that same mistake with health care." (Watch President Obama talk about paying for his plan.)
Taking aim at Republicans who have railed against potential Medicare cuts, Mr. Obama addressed seniors directly.
"Don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut - especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past," he said, "and just this year supported a budget that would have essentially turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare."
He said however, that reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid would pay for most of this plan, with the remainder of the costs covered by fees on drug and insurance companies.
In the Republican response to President Obama's address, Rep. Charles Boustany criticized the president's plan to pare down Medicare costs.
"It cuts Medicare by $500 billion, while doing virtually nothing to make the program better for our seniors," he said. (Read the Republican response to President Obama's speech.)
Mr. Obama also acknowledged Republican support for medical malpractice reform. He said he is directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on a Bush administration initiative to test the issue.
"I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I have talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs," he said.
To cap off his nearly 5,500-word speech, the president evoked the spirit of health care reform champion Sen. Ted Kennedy. He said the senator sent him a letter that the president was instructed to open after Kennedy's death.
"He expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform - 'that great unfinished business of our society,' he called it - would finally pass," Mr. Obama revealed. "'What we face,' he wrote, 'is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.'" (Watch President Obama talk about the letter from Kennedy)
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. Speaking before a special joint session of Congress this evening, President Obama laid out to legislators and the American people his goals for health care reform -- goals that he says incorporate both Democratic and Republican ideas.
After a tedious summer in which the dialogue surrounding health care reform spun out of the president's control, Mr. Obama gave his address tonight in an attempt to clarify his priorities and set the legislative process back on track.
Health care reform, the president said, should meet three basic goals: more security and stability for those with health insurance, access to insurance for those who do not have it, and ways to slow the growth of health care costs. (Read the president's full remarks here.)
"The time for bickering is over," Mr. Obama said. "Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care."
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
The president told the Congress he continues to seek common ground -- but he issued a warning to opponents of his plan who have used lies and exaggerations to fight it.
"My door is always open," he said. "But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it... If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now."
Mr. Obama said Americans have grown nervous about reform because of misinformation. He alluded to claims from former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin that his plan would establish "death panels."
"The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens," he said. "Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."
The president also disputed claims that illegal immigrants would be covered under his plan, that federal dollars would be used to fund abortions, or that his plan amounts to a "government takeover" of health care.
His comments elicited a rowdy response from the Congress, with South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!" after Mr. Obama said no illegal immigrants would be covered. (Watch Congress jeer the president during his speech.)
Wilson later released a statement apologizing for his behavior.
The president also spurred some laughter from the Congress when he said, "While there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe a broad consensus exists" on many aspects of reform.
As for the most contentious issue, a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option," the president said it "is only a means to that end - and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal" of ending insurance company abuses and making coverage affordable.
He insisted, though, that it would be an effective means of keeping the private market in check, "the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities." (Watch President Obama's remarks on the public option.)
"It's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight," Mr. Obama said. "But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated... It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles."
He stressed that a public option would be optional - with less than 5 percent of Americans estimated to sign up - and would be on a level playing field with private companies.
CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer said that Mr. Obama may have been signaling to Democrats that they should forgo the public option.
"He was saying to the liberals in his own party, 'Look, we're not going to get this public, government-run insurance program that you're insisting on, but there are a lot of things that we can get done, very significant things," Schieffer said. "He is saying, 'Don't miss the forest for the trees here.'" (Watch more of Schieffer's analysis.)
Mr. Obama said alternatives such as nonprofit cooperatives are worth exploring.
"But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice," he said. "And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need."
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
The president noted that it has been nearly a century since the federal government first called for health care reform under former President Theodore Roosevelt.
"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last," he said.
Mr. Obama said that the stalled debate has brought the country to a breaking point, with soaring health care costs burdening many Americans with extraordinary financial hardship.
"These are not primarily people on welfare," he said. "These are middle-class Americans."
The president said his proposals would cost around $900 billion over 10 years -- "less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration," he said.
The president repeated his common mantra that under his plan, no one who currently has health insurance will be required to change their coverage or their doctor.
"Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have," he said.
The plan, Mr. Obama said, will prohibit insurance companies from denying consumers coverage because of pre-existing conditions. It will also prohibit rescission, the practice of dropping customers' coverage after they get sick, along with caps on coverage. It will limit out-of-pocket expenses. Insurance companies would be required to cover routine checkups and preventive care.
"That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives," he said.
The president argued for the creation of a health insurance exchange to keep people insured, even if they lose their job or decide to start a business. He also advocated a mandate for all Americans to acquire insurance and tax credits for those who cannot afford coverage. (Watch the president call for an individual mandate.)
To prove he is serious about keeping his plan deficit neutral, the president called for a provision to require more spending cuts if the savings promised do not materialize.
"Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for - from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy," the president said to great applause from Democrats and some Republicans. "I will not make that same mistake with health care." (Watch President Obama talk about paying for his plan.)
Taking aim at Republicans who have railed against potential Medicare cuts, Mr. Obama addressed seniors directly.
"Don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut - especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past," he said, "and just this year supported a budget that would have essentially turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare."
He said however, that reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid would pay for most of this plan, with the remainder of the costs covered by fees on drug and insurance companies.
In the Republican response to President Obama's address, Rep. Charles Boustany criticized the president's plan to pare down Medicare costs.
"It cuts Medicare by $500 billion, while doing virtually nothing to make the program better for our seniors," he said. (Read the Republican response to President Obama's speech.)
Mr. Obama also acknowledged Republican support for medical malpractice reform. He said he is directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on a Bush administration initiative to test the issue.
"I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I have talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs," he said.
To cap off his nearly 5,500-word speech, the president evoked the spirit of health care reform champion Sen. Ted Kennedy. He said the senator sent him a letter that the president was instructed to open after Kennedy's death.
"He expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform - 'that great unfinished business of our society,' he called it - would finally pass," Mr. Obama revealed. "'What we face,' he wrote, 'is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.'" (Watch President Obama talk about the letter from Kennedy)
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Personally I was insulted on my Doctors behalf in regards to the remarks that President Obama made regarding "doctors patient decisions are made based on the money that they will make". It makes me wonder where in the heck he grew up to get these idea?s?? He was definitely raised differently than I was...I feel sorry for him, such negative views.
I want start by saying thank you for not resorting to incoherent, hateful insults. I have much respect for your view. And while I do agree with you on the very logical reason for not undermining our last president because he was sending men to die to save our collective azzez, I still feel that the conservative media's statements common at that time (such as Mr. O'Reilly's infamous gems: "why don't you just shut up" and "Americans will respect your views as long as you keep them private") were not in line with the ideology of which this countries laws are/were based on... (You know, that cherished right we call freedom of speech..) which they were of course defending against "evil". It hurt our country then, and it still does now. The president can't even get through a speech without being undermined. Why? We no longer respect our leaders. We hold nothing they say or do to be honest or in our best interest. Administrations seem to say one thing one day to get what they want, and the next day they they go the opposite direction if it suits their interests more.
When I am afraid to voice opposition to something, or when I am told to hide my views and "just shut up", I must question if my best interest are at heart. I must ask if the men dying for this country agreed with that sentiment. For some reason, I willing to bet they didn't.
Hi Joe_NY_15
I want start by saying Thank You for not resorting to incoherent, hateful insults. I have much respect for your calm reply and I thought about your point sincerely.
I just feel (personally, might I add) that the ask-no-questions mentality commonly pushed at that time was not in line with the very ideology that the troops are sent to defend... Ideology that supports that cherished right we like to call freedom of speech.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I gather this from your reply: If we are at war, or under an administration that feels war is necessary, I should not question this for fear of undermining our President. I should be content to hide and "just shut up" as Mr. O'Reilly so eloquently put it? These troops die because of orders from the top, and I have no part in that specific decision making process... and if I doubt the motives or feel that they are dying for the wrong reasons, I should not voice an opinion about that? I should be unquestioning and blindly follow although it costs lives and money to defend this lack of freedom? Or is my naivete' betraying me?
The President is absolutely correct when he points out that there is a specific provision that prohibits coverage of illegals. I will be curious for the final bill to see what enforcement tools are put into it, emergency rooms now routinely treat indigent patients and those costs get passed on to those of us with insurance. If government money will not pay for illegals, does anyone seriously think that they will be turned away without treatment? Who is going to be tasked with checking citizenship status? I would expect to see the advocacy groups up in arms over that - but I haven't seen or heard anything from them in the news. I wonder why that is, they were certainly quick to jump up and be counted when ICE started stepped up enforcement raids, or when the Minutemen started going down to the border, but now facing the possibility of having no health care coverage for their constituency there are no protests, no marches, no inflammatory speeches. Could it be that they already know that they will be taken care?
Corporate socialism -- capitalize the gains, socialize the losses.
A very good post. Corporate America has become so intertwined with the govt that they are indeed a unique and perverse form of socialism in many cases. It is odd that the GOP so blindly supports big business that they do no see the obvious. They constantly worry about socialism, yet it is already here!
Kudos Lawyers-Guns-n-Money for hitting the nail squarely on the head.
(and... from your other insightful post on "projection"... that is exactly why the corporate-ists and their lackeys in government scream "socialism" any time their game looks to be called)
by Lawyers-Guns-n-Money September 10, 2009 4:54 PM EDT
Are you suggesting that Democrats will allow un-documented aliens to be thrown out in the street to die, with no services or care ?
Do you really expect us to believe that ?
================================================================
Been watching Glenn Beck I see. (almost verbatim)
No, I don't want anyone thrown out on the streets to die and neither do you (at least I hope you don't). The proposed legislation does NOT change emergency services already offered to anyone that requires them. It also does not give undocumented persons any additional benefits.
How about a brown trout next time, or a blue marlin instead of those same, tired red herrings?
by notsouthern September 10, 2009 4:51 PM EDT
pickaguitar1
Corporate greed is destroying the fabric of the USA. I hope everything works out OK for you and your family!
________________________
Who do you think provides the paychecks for millions of Americans ? who ? Corporations and Businesses.....this constant democrat class-warfare against companies or anyone successful is just disgusting.....you may not be employed by a corporation, but millions are, and millions have their retirement investments depending on corporations succeeding....you should be happy companies are succeeding.....do you want them NOT to make a profit and fail ?? is THAT what you are hoping for ? seems so
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Laughable, Joe. Truth is, we've been reaping the ill-gotten fruit of socialism of the worst kind -- that of corporate socialism. Think we live in a constitutional republic or even practice true capitalism? We don't and have been moving away from that concept since the turn of the beginning of the 19th century. We now live in an oligarchical republic. Think about it; if we really were to abide by the true precepts of capitalism, corporations wouldn't be running to our legislators asking for tax breaks and subsidies (and getting them) all in the name of leveling the playing field.
Corporate socialism -- capitalize the gains, socialize the losses.
I believe the technical term for your delusion is "projection". The GOP is in disarray, out of power, out of ideas, a laughing stock for all to see. You seem to project your frustration and shortcomings on the Dems. That will not help you in the least.
Aug was a setback for the Dems, no question. And it was engineered by a GOP that only cares about destroying Obama and getting back in power, not what is best for our country. Aided and abetted by a handful of right-wing nutjobs at townhall meetings and far right talking heads.
The Dems are still in power, and will still do the deal. Count on it.
It is your cocky Dic-tatorship that thought they could ram legislation down the American people's throats.....they read it, and said NO
===========================================
Jane's Law: The devotees of the party in power are smug and arrogant. The devotees of the party out of power are insane.