Health Care Blog

State of the Union 2012: We Want to Hear From You

Mark your calendars! Next Tuesday January 24, President Obama will present the annual State of the Union Address at 9 pm EST, and all week long, the White House wants to hear from concerned citizens on the topics that most matter to you.

Once again, we will be streaming an enhanced version of the speech that features graphics, data and stats that highlight the issues the President is discussing on Whitehouse.gov/sotu. We will also live stream that broadcast through the White House Live App on Facebook, YouTube and our new Google+ page.

Starting immediately after the speech and continuing through the rest of the week, senior White House officials will hear from you about the state of our union. President Obama is committed to creating a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration using social media and other online resources to engage citizens across America on your highest priorities.

Immediately following the speech, we’ll be streaming an online panel live from the White House. The panel of senior advisors -- Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council; Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy; Brian Deese, Deputy Director National Economic Council; Ben Rhodes, Deputy NSA for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting and Jen Palmieri, Deputy White House Communications Director – will be answering questions about the President’s address submitted by citizens via twitter (#WHChat & #SOTU), Google+, Facebook and the in-person audience of tweetup participants.

Administration officials will spend Wednesday taking questions on the State of the Union in a day-long Office Hours marathon, an online question and answer session through Twitter. Josh Earnest, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, will be available throughout the day, and Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council will be taking questions at 1 pm EST. Dan Pfeiffer, the White House Communications Director, will also participate.

Thursday’s Office Hours will feature community-focused discussions with policy advisors and experts and Friday will be directed towards specific issues. 

Review the full schedule of events below to learn how you can participate. We hope you will join us at some point next week.

Moving Forward and Implementing Health Reform

It’s been nearly two years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. In that time, the law has already made an incredible difference to millions of Americans:

• 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance.
• As of October 2011, more than 2.65 million seniors got a 50 percent discount on their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole.
• Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get sick or put a lifetime cap on the amount of care you can receive.

Of course, there is more to come in the years ahead. Starting in 2014, consumers in every state will have access to Affordable Insurance Exchanges – State-based one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs.  Exchanges will offer consumers the same kinds of insurance choices that members of Congress now have. And millions of middle class families will get tax credits to make it easier to buy insurance in the Exchanges.

Under the health reform law, States have the first opportunity to set up and manage an Exchange and States are taking action.  Today, we released a new report which finds 28 States have taken important steps toward establishing their own Exchanges. Some of the examples in the report include:

• Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a physician, issued an Executive Order that created the Alabama Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission on June 2, 2011, which recommended that Alabama establish its own Exchange called the “Alabama Health Insurance Marketplace. The legislature, which meets in February, is expected to take up legislation to establish an Exchange, with legislative leaders already indicating their support.
• Colorado passed a bipartisan bill to establish the independent Colorado Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law on June 1, 2011. The Colorado Exchange has started public education about health reform and the Exchange at its website, www.getcoveredco.org. Organizations such as the Colorado branch of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry have been active participants in creating the small business component of the Exchange. 
• In Nevada, unanimous, bipartisan legislation authorized the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval on June 16, 2011.  Its board has been appointed, executive director named, and application submitted for its next round of funding for building the Exchange.

Today’s report also outlines some of the steps the Department of Health and Human Services has taken to ensure all Americans have access to an Exchange beginning in 2014. These include developing the information technology and business systems necessary to facilitate Exchanges in multiple States.  No matter where you live, on January 1, 2014, an Exchange will be up and running.

As we move forward, we’ll continue to build on our strong partnerships with State leaders nationwide and help ensure all Americans can access high quality, affordable health care and have the security they need and deserve.

Nancy-Ann DeParle is Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff