The President's Weekly Address: Health Reform's Benefits in 2010

From the White House blog:

The President discusses the benefits of health reform that Americans will receive in the first year, and how reform will help build a new foundation for American families.

This is some of the most important parts of what he is saying that needs to be repeated I think, over and over... This is what starts no matter which bill is signed no matter what happens.. and it is important we see and understand these things.. This is REFORM!

But what every American should know is that once I sign health insurance reform into law, there are dozens of protections and benefits that will take effect this year.

Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing illness or condition will finally be able to purchase coverage they can afford.

Children with pre-existing conditions will no longer be refused coverage, and young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ policy until they’re 26 or 27 years old.

Small business owners who can’t afford to cover their employees will be immediately offered tax credits to purchase coverage.

Early retirees who receive coverage from their employers will see their coverage protected and their premiums go down.

Seniors who fall into the coverage gap known as the donut hole will receive discounts of up to 50 percent on their prescriptions as we begin to close that gap altogether.

And every patient’s choice of doctor will be protected, along with access to emergency care.

Here’s what else will happen within the first year. Insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to their customers – so that we can start catching preventable illnesses and diseases on the front end. They’ll no longer be allowed to impose restrictive annual limits on the amount of coverage you receive or lifetime limits on the amount of benefits you receive. They’ll be prohibited from dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. And there will be a new, independent appeals process for anyone who feels they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company.

In short, once I sign health insurance reform into law, doctors and patients will have more control over their health care decisions, and insurance company bureaucrats will have less. All told, these changes represent the most sweeping reforms and toughest restrictions on insurance companies that this country has ever known. That’s how we’ll make 2010 a healthier and more secure year for every American – for those who have health insurance, and those who don’t.

Those are just the things that go into effect this year.. as soon as they can be implemented after the President signs the bill into law. Why are these not good things?

It does almost everything we have stated we wanted. Lowers costs, insures the uninsured and covers the people with pre-existing conditions. I think this is a win win for us all. No it may not have everything, but it has the big parts of it.. and it is sure something that makes a HUGE step in the right direction to getting what everyone says they want.

So, lets support this, get it done and then move on to the next step. Can we all agree on that?

President's Weekly Address: Working with Small Business to Drive Recovery

From the White House web site:

The President restates his commitment to small business as key to economic recovery -- from the Recovery Act to Financial Stability to Health Reform -- and pledges more to come.

In this week’s address, President Barack Obama spoke of how important small businesses are to the economy and described the steps his administration is taking to support them. Health insurance reform will allow small business to purchase insurance for their employees through exchanges, which will increase the quality of coverage while lowering the costs, and reform will provide tax credits to those businesses. To free up credit, the President called on Congress to increase the size of various SBA loans, and he announced that the administration will be making more credit available to the small local and community banks that many small businesses depend on.

The President is doing more every day to help create and save jobs through small businesses, big businesses and much more. This is just one part of it. With the Climate Change bill, or ACES as it is also called this could also help with jobs, if only we could get our Congress to do something about it and pass it.

I will have more on the Wind Energy in the next couple of days. I have some interesting things I found that I want to share about it.. and I was surprised to learn I had wind farms right here in my back yard so to speak.. But now, here is the President.

President's Weekly Address: Health Reform Urgent for the Economy

From the White House web site:

The President discusses ongoing efforts to spur job creation. He also explains why health insurance reform is needed not just for long-term economic stability, but in the immediate future, discussing statistics on how costs will continue to skyrocket and hurt small businesses even next year.

This makes so much sense to me, just a lowly citizen, that I don't understand why everyone can't see this. I guess it just depends on whether you want to look with your eyes and your heart at the plight of your neighbor and friend or if you only really care about yourself.

I honestly think that's what it comes down to in some instances. Selfishness. We are such a ME society. I got mine, now you figure out how you are going to get yours.. cause I don't care anymore. That's how we are, or so it seems. So many people just do not care about their fellow man...

How well do you know your neighbor? Would you feel comfortable asking them for help? Would they feel comfortable asking you?

Think about that.