Health Care Blog

Local Papers Across the Country Weigh in for Reform

As the fight to put American families and small businesses in control of their health care hits the home stretch, local papers across the country are speaking out for the communities they serve and urging Congress to get health reform done.  Here's just a sample of what editorials are saying in advance of the vote:

Fort Collins Coloradoan (Editorial) “Markey making right choice to vote for reform”:

There's no denying the health-care reform bill to be considered by Congress in coming days is far from perfect and has been crafted in a flawed process. However, continuing with the current health-care system marred by uncontrolled costs and countless uninsured Americans is not an option. That's why we believe Rep. Betsy Markey is making the right decision to support the reform package.

Des Moines Register (Editorial) “Finally: Health bill ready for vote”:

History books recognize specific dates when a president took action that changed the course of the country's future. One of those days was Aug. 14, 1935, when Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Another was July 30, 1965, when Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law. Both programs improved the lives of Americans. The country is on the cusp of another such remarkable day. That's right. The U.S. House is expected to vote on health reform legislation Sunday. If it passes and President Barack Obama signs it into law, the country will be witnessing historic change.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Editorial) “Four big lies about health care reform”:

As Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives push for a final vote on health care reform by this weekend, we examine four big lies that reform opponents are spreading. “The current system works just fine.” … “This bill is a government takeover of health care.” … “We can’t afford health care reform. We have to cut the deficit.” … “Health care reform means federal funding for abortion.”

Las Vegas Sun (Editorial) “Pass health care reform”:

Congressional leaders unveiled the latest version of the health care bill Thursday, and the House Democratic leadership was ecstatic. After months of being hammered by Republicans with lies about the reform plans, Democrats cheered the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s initial analysis of the bill, which undercut the GOP’s complaints. The analysis found the bill would give access to health insurance to 95 percent of nonelderly Americans while cutting the federal deficit by $138 billion over 10 years. The bill could cut as much as $1.2 trillion from the deficit in the following decade.

Arizona Daily Sun (Editorial) “No time like present to start health care reform”:

… Our larger point is that, when it comes to fixing what's broken in U.S. health care, it is time to put aside rigid ideologies and embrace experimentation and hybrid solutions. Whatever plan comes out of Congress this week -- if any -- won't be perfect. But it will be a start at a process of change that, in an era of globalization and mobility, is long overdue.

Detroit Free Press (Editorial) “Messy bill offers significant health care progress”:

As the "yes" votes for health care reform trickle in, building toward the House majority needed to approve work done in the Senate, Americans must keep in mind what will be forefeit if that effort falters. Medical costs continue to skyrocket even as fiscally challenged states like Michigan slash Medicaid payments. Most of the healthy uninsured cannot afford to buy policies, leaving the individual market mostly to chronically ill, for whom health insurance is more like a discount card than a safety net.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Editorial) “Rx for health care: political courage”:

The latest health care scenarios just released by researchers from a respected think tank offer grim food for thought as health reform moves toward final passage in Congress. If the legislation doesn't pass, the worst-case projection is that the number of Americans without coverage will climb from 49.4 million to 67.6 million in 2020, meaning that nearly one in four Americans too young for Medicare will be uninsured.

Miami Herald (Editorial) “Time to vote on healthcare reform”:

By now, every voice in the debate over healthcare reform has been heard from. The only thing left to do is pass the reform bill. Admittedly, the bill under consideration is far from perfect. President Obama made a last-minute change that delays a tax on high-cost insurance policies until 2018, which adds to the immediate costs. Nor were Democrats willing to reduce or kill the tax break for employee health benefits, which would also reduce costs and produce more cost-conscious healthcare consumers.

Washington Post (Editorial) “Health reform is a risk worth taking”:

EVERY piece of legislation is in some sense a wager: that it will accomplish what is intended; that its costs will be as anticipated; that the promised funding will materialize; that, however imperfect, it represents an improvement on the status quo. Voting for the health reform package now before the House of Representatives represents, in those terms, a huge gamble.

St. Petersburg Times (Editorial) “Health care legislation good for Florida”:

As the House heads toward a historic vote on health care reform as early as Sunday, all Florida Republicans remain opposed and all but two Democrats are firmly in support. But a new analysis released Thursday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee suggests Florida lawmakers who vote against the reforms are acting against the best interests of their constituents.

"I Still Believe We Can Do What's Right"

This morning, speaking before thousands at the Patriot Center in Virginia, the President was perhaps even more passionate about finishing the job on health reform than any time in this year-long debate.  It’s probably best to let him speak for himself, so read the full transcript for yourself or a few excerpts below:

Setting the stage:

THE PRESIDENT:  A few miles from here, Congress is in the final stages of a fateful debate about the future of health insurance in America.  (Applause.)  It’s a debate that’s raged not just for the past year but for the past century.  One thing when you’re in the White House, you’ve got a lot of history books around you.  (Laughter.)  And so I’ve been reading up on the history here.  Teddy Roosevelt, Republican, was the first to advocate that everybody get health care in this country.  (Applause.)  Every decade since, we’ve had Presidents, Republicans and Democrats, from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon to JFK to Lyndon Johnson to -- every single President has said we need to fix this system.  It’s a debate that’s not only about the cost of health care, not just about what we’re doing about folks who aren’t getting a fair shake from their insurance companies.  It’s a debate about the character of our country -– (applause) -- about whether we can still meet the challenges of our time; whether we still have the guts and the courage to give every citizen, not just some, the chance to reach their dreams.  (Applause.)

At the heart of this debate is the question of whether we’re going to accept a system that works better for the insurance companies than it does for the American people -- (applause) -- because if this vote fails, the insurance industry will continue to run amok.  They will continue to deny people coverage.  They will continue to deny people care.  They will continue to jack up premiums 40 or 50 or 60 percent as they have in the last few weeks without any accountability whatsoever.  They know this.  And that’s why their lobbyists are stalking the halls of Congress as we speak, and pouring millions of dollars into negative ads.  And that’s why they are doing everything they can to kill this bill.

Placing the coming vote in the context of history:

THE PRESIDENT:  In just a few days, a century-long struggle will culminate in an historic vote.  And when we have faced such decisions in our past, this nation has chosen time and again to extend its promise to more of its people.
 
When the naysayers argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, the men and women of Congress stood fast, and created a program that has lifted millions of poverty. 
When the cynics warned that Medicare would lead to a government takeover of our entire health care system, and it didn’t have much support in the polls, Democrats and Republicans refused to back down, and made sure that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind. 

Generations ago, those who came before made the decision that our seniors and our poor should not be forced to go without health care just because they couldn’t afford it.  Today, it falls to this generation to decide whether we will make the same promise to middle-class families, and small businesses, and young Americans like yourselves who are just starting out.

And in closing:

THE PRESIDENT: I still believe we can do what’s right.  I still believe we can do what’s hard.  The need is great.  The opportunity is here.  And the time for reform is now.