N.C. residents still divided over health care reform
RALEIGH -- Response in North Carolina to President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress didn't appear to eliminate the sharp divisions on the most vocal sides of the health care issue.
A crowd of more than 1,000 people listening to him Wednesday night at a Raleigh event put on by a conservative watchdog group booed at times and laughed at some of Obama's comments.
Ralph Dean of Raleigh said the president again failed to provide specifics about the plan he wants Congress to pass.
Democrats who heard his speech praised Obama. State Democratic Party Chairman David Young said he made a compelling case about the need to pass health insurance reform this year. Young said Republicans are only opposed to reform to hurt the president.
-- Associated Press
By Ceci Connolly and Michael D. Shear
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- Declaring that the "time for bickering is over," President Obama sought to revive the prospects for the passage of far-reaching health-care reform by seizing ownership Wednesday night of an initiative he has largely left in lawmakers' hands.
In a televised address to a joint session of Congress, Obama prodded them to enact quickly comprehensive legislation that would impose strict new insurance protections, expand government health programs for the working poor and begin pilot projects aimed at reducing medical malpractice lawsuits.
"The time for games has passed," the president said of his signature domestic policy issue. "Now is the season for action."
Casting himself squarely in the political center with direct appeals to the middle class, Obama laid out his case for a 10-year, $900 billion plan that would build on the current employer-based health system with new requirements on individuals and businesses to contribute to the costs of coverage. And on the controversial issue of a new government-run insurance option, he maintained his flexibility.
"If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen," he said. "My door is always open."
After being urged by allies in recent weeks to be more assertive, Obama condemned what he called the "partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government."
Public support for comprehensive health-care reform has dwindled over the past month as vocal opponents dominated the headlines with talk of socialized medicine and accusations that Obama was embarking on a "risky experiment" with the nation's medical care.
"Out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned," he said.
"I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it," he said. "I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. 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."
After months of leaving the bill-writing to Congress, Obama for the first time spoke of "my plan" to meet the twin goals of controlling medical costs and providing affordable care to every American.
At the same time, he declined to put an end to bitter intraparty divisions over the question of a public insurance option for individuals and small businesses that have difficulty buying coverage in the private market.
While repeating his belief that the approach provides needed competition for private companies, he pleaded with his "progressive friends" to remain open to other ideas that could accomplish the same goals.
"Its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left, the right, or the media," he said. "It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles."
But he pledged: "I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."
With the nation in the midst of a recession and two wars, many had counseled Obama to delay the battle over health care, an issue that bedeviled so many of his predecessors and proved to be treacherous politics for fellow Democrat Bill Clinton. But he argued that revamping the nation's $2.3 trillion system is central to long-term economic solvency.
Obama used the broad reach of the prime-time address to fight back against what he called "bogus claims," calling the talk of "death panels" "laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple." He also rejected claims that his proposals would increase federal funding for abortion or provide coverage to illegal immigrants.
Although he at times reached across the partisan divide -- at one point embracing an idea put forth by his presidential rival, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- Obama warned that he will not tolerate the strategy of "death by delay" articulated by some GOP strategists.
"I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are," he said. "If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out."
Hours before the address, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced that he intends to push forward on a measure next week, regardless of whether he has GOP support.
"The time has come for action," he said after a morning session with the panel's bipartisan "Gang of Six." "We must get this bill done by the end of the year."
Obama said his plan broadly includes one of the key ideas included in the Baucus blueprint, a proposal to tax insurance companies on plans worth more than $8,000 for an individual and $21,000 for families.
Before the August recess, three House panels and the Senate health committee approved bills that would have reached near-universal coverage through mandates and subsidies.
Obama said he now supports a requirement that all Americans carry insurance, a provision included in every reform bill. He opposed the so-called individual mandate during his presidential campaign last year, but has said this year that it is necessary to make insurance reform work.
Obama plans to convene a Cabinet meeting Thursday, with the focus on health care, and will travel to Minneapolis on Saturday for a public rally.
