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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MJ who wrote (68568)	7/14/2009 2:33:21 PM
From: TideGlider	Respond to of 224728

Text size – + House unveils healthcare overhaul bill Email\|Link\|Comments (0) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor July 14, 2009 02:32 PM President Obama this afternoon praised the healthcare overhaul bill unveiled by Democratic leaders in the House. Patterned in significant measure after the 2006 Massachusetts law, it would penalize employers who fail to provide health insurance for their workers and individuals who refuse to obtain coverage. The legislation would be paid for by a federal income surtax -- up to 5.4 percent on the income of taxpayers making more than $1 million a year -- plus hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts in projected Medicare and Medicaid spending. Obama urged Congress on Monday to get back on track to send him a bill before its August recess, after healthcare legislation went off the rails over disagreements on financing during the week he was abroad. "For decades, Washington failed to act as healthcare costs continued to rise, crushing businesses and families and placing an unsustainable burden on governments. But today, key committees in the House of Representatives have engaged in unprecedented cooperation to produce a health care reform proposal that will lower costs, provide better care for patients, and ensure fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House this afternoon. "This proposal controls the skyrocketing cost of health care by rooting out waste and fraud and promoting quality and accountability. Its savings of more than $500 billion over 10 years will strengthen Medicare and contribute to our goal of reforming health care in a fiscally responsible way. It will change the incentives in our health care system so that Americans can receive the best care, not the most expensive care. And it will offer families and businesses more choices and more affordable health care," he added. "This proposal will also prevent insurance companies from denying people coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition. It will ensure that workers can still have health insurance if they lose their job, change their job or start a new business. And it includes a health insurance exchange that will allow families and small businesses to compare prices and quality so they can choose the health care plan that best suits their needs. Among the choices that would be available in the exchange would be a public health insurance option that would make health care affordable by increasing competition, providing more choices, and keeping the insurance companies honest. "The House proposal will begin the process of fixing what’s broken about our health care system, reducing costs for all, building on what works, and covering an estimated 97% of all Americans. And by emphasizing prevention and wellness, it will also help improve the quality of health care for every American. "I thank Chairmen Rangel, Waxman, and Miller for their hard work on this bill that fundamentally reforms the health care system. As this process moves forward, I look forward to continuing to work with all House members in ensuring this legislation helps all Americans and plays an essential role in reducing deficits and bringing fiscal sustainability to our nation.”