WATCH: Entire Speech Below

YES ! It's OFFICIAL:

President Releases " The Obama Plan "

Stability & Security for ALL Americans

"It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government."

– President Barack Obama

If You Have Health Insurance

More Stability and Security

• Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. Over the last three years, 12 million people were denied coverage directly or indirectly through high premiums due to a pre-existing condition. Under the President’s plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny coverage for health reasons or risks.
• Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age. The President’s plan will end insurers’ practice of charging different premiums or denying coverage based on gender, and will limit premium variation based on age.
• Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most. The President’s plan prohibits insurance companies from rescinding coverage that has already been purchased except in cases of fraud. In most states, insurance companies can cancel a policy if any medical condition was not listed on the application – even one not related to a current illness or one the patient didn’t even know about. A recent Congressional investigation found that over five years, three large insurance companies cancelled coverage for 20,000 people, saving them from paying $300 million in medical claims - $300 million that became either an obligation for the patient’s family or bad debt for doctors and hospitals.
• Caps out-of pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick. The President’s plan will cap out-of-pocket expenses and will prohibit insurance companies from imposing annual or lifetime caps on benefit payments. A middle-class family purchasing health insurance directly from the individual insurance market today could spend up to 50 percent of household income on health care costs because there is no limit on out-of-pocket expenses.
• Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money. The President’s plan ensures that all Americans have access to free preventive services under their health insurance plans. Too many Americans forgo needed preventive care, in part because of the cost of check-ups and screenings that can identify health problems early when they can be most effectively treated. For example, 24 percent of women age 40 and over have not received a mammogram in the past two years, and 38 percent of adults age 50 and over have never had a colon cancer screening.
• Protects Medicare for seniors. The President’s plan will extend new protections for Medicare beneficiaries that improve quality, coordinate care and reduce beneficiary and program costs. These protections will extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund to pay for care for future generations.
• Eliminates the "donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs. The President’s plan begins immediately to close the Medicare "donut hole" - a current gap in its drug benefit - by providing a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs for seniors who fall into it. In 2007, over 8 million seniors hit this coverage gap in the standard Medicare drug benefit. By 2019, the President’s plan will completely close the "donut hole". The average out-of-pocket spending for such beneficiaries who lack another source of insurance is $4,080.

If You Don't Have Insurance

Quality, Affordable Choices for All Americans

• Creates a new insurance marketplace – the Exchange – that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices. The President’s plan allows Americans who have health insurance and like it to keep it. But for those who lose their jobs, change jobs or move, new high quality, affordable options will be available in the exchange. Beginning in 2013, the Exchange will give Americans without access to affordable insurance on the job, and small businesses one-stop shopping for insurance where they can easily compare options based on price, benefits, and quality.
• Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance. The President’s plan will provide new tax credits on a sliding scale to individuals and families that will limit how much of their income can be spent on premiums. There will also be greater protection for cost-sharing for out-of-pocket expenses.
• Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees. The President’s plan will also provide small businesses with tax credits to offset costs of providing coverage for their workers. Small businesses who for too long have faced higher prices than larger businesses, will now be eligible to enter the exchange so that they have lower costs and more choices for covering their workers.
• Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice. The President believes this option will promote competition, hold insurance companies accountable and assure affordable choices. It is completely voluntary. The President believes the public option must operate like any private insurance company – it must be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects.
• Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national "high risk" pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created. For those Americans who cannot get insurance coverage today because of a pre-existing condition, the President’s plan will immediately make available coverage without a mark-up due to their health condition. This policy will offer protection against financial ruin until a wider array of choices become available in the new exchange in 2013.

For All Americans

Reins In the Cost of Health Care for Our Families, Our Businesses, and Our Government

• Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront. The President’s plan will not add one dime to the deficit today or in the future and is paid for in a fiscally responsible way. It begins the process of reforming the health care system so that we can further curb health care cost growth over the long term, and invests in quality improvements, consumer protections, prevention, and premium assistance. The plan fully pays for this investment through health system savings and new revenue including a fee on insurance companies that sell very expensive plans.
• Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized. Under the plan, if the savings promised at the time of enactment don’t materialize, the President will be required to put forth additional savings to ensure that the plan does not add to the deficit.
• Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality. The President’s plan includes proposals that will improve the way care is delivered to emphasize quality over quantity, including: incentives for hospitals to prevent avoidable readmissions, pilots for new "bundled" payments in Medicare, and support for new models of delivering care through medical homes and accountable care organizations that focus on a coordinated approach to care and outcomes.
• Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system. The President’s plan will create an independent Commission, made up of doctors and medical experts, to make recommendations to Congress each year on how to promote greater efficiency and higher quality in Medicare. The Commission will not be authorized to propose or implement Medicare changes that ration care or affect benefits, eligibility or beneficiary access to care. It will ensure that your tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors.
• Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine. The President’s plan instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on awarding medical malpractice demonstration grants to states funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as soon as possible.
• Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform. Under the President’s plan, large businesses – those with more than 50 workers – will be required to offer their workers coverage or pay a fee to help cover the cost of making coverage affordable in the exchange. This will ensure that workers in firms not offering coverage will have affordable coverage options for themselves and their families. Individuals who can afford it will have a responsibility to purchase coverage – but there will be a "hardship exemption" for those who cannot.

" I Will Call You Out ! "

WATCH COMPLETE SPEECH

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News,
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P.S. Our 1st Lady Looked Wonderful !

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 9, 2009

EXCERPTS OF THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS TONIGHT:

I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.



Our collective failure to meet this challenge – year after year, decade after decade – has led us to a breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can’t get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can’t afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover.


During that time, we have seen Washington at its best and its worst.


We have seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform. Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors’ groups and even drug companies – many of whom opposed reform in the past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about eighty percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been.



But what we have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government. Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.



Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care.



The plan I’m announcing tonight would meet three basic goals:



It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. It’s a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge – not just government and insurance companies, but employers and individuals. And it’s a plan that incorporates ideas from Senators and Congressmen; from Democrats and Republicans – and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election.



***

Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan:

First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.

That’s what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan – more security and stability.

Now, if you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans who don’t currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage. We will do this by creating a new insurance exchange – a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It’s how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it’s time to give every American the same opportunity that we’ve given ourselves.

***
This is the plan I’m proposing. It’s a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight – Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.

But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it. 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.

Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true.

That is why we cannot fail. Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed – the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town hall meetings, in emails, and in letters.

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WATCH: President Obama's
Message For America's Students

The President gives a speech directly to Americas students welcoming them back to school. He emphasizes their hope and potential but makes clear they will need to take responsibility for themselves.

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through server

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With Much Love To My Dear Sister

KAREN JONES
April 3, 1958-August 29, 2009

God Bless

Update Coming Soon.

RIP Senator Ted Kennedy

President Obama:
" Kennedy The Greatest
Senator Of Our Time "

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________________ August 26, 2009

Statement from President Obama:

Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.

And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower of strength and support through good times and bad.

Our hearts and prayers go out to them today--to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

##

WATCH VIDEO:

Senator Kennedy's Historic
Endorsement Of
Barack Obama

Senator Kennedy
Will TRULY Be Missed

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Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NewMexico)

First 'Gang of Six' Member Backs Reconciliation

For Health Reform

Ryan Grimm (HuffPo)

A Democratic member of the "Gang of Six" senators charged with finding a bipartisan solution to health care reform said at a town hall Monday that he would support using the budget reconciliation process to push a bill through the Senate if necessary.

Reconciliation is a parliamentary procedure that would allow Democrats to pass health care reform with 51 votes, meaning the party could do it without any Republican support.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico has been one of three Democrats participating in the widely-watched Finance Committee negotiations. His willingness to consider reconciliation is another sign that a a genuine bipartisan deal may be impossible.

"We made a provision in the budget resolution [earlier this year] that it could be used to try to enact health care provisions related to health care reform," Bingaman said. "There are restrictions to what you can include in that...but I would support it if that's the only way."

Non-budget-related items typically can't be passed using reconciliation, but Democrats are eying ways that would allow them to include those provisions, as well. Reconciliation would be a difficult legislative path to walk, but it raises pressure on Republicans who are considering supporting the Democratic effort. If Democrats go it alone, those Republicans, such as Maine's Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins, would be left out of the process.

Bingaman's support of reconciliation was first reported by the New Mexico Independent and can be seen at the one hour mark here. (HuffPo)

Just Say NO to Bi-Partisanship

THEY Say NO All The Time...and Always Will !

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President Obama Guarantees Health Reform Bill

" A Public Option is the best... "

Sam Stein

President Barack Obama guaranteed on Thursday that health care reform will be achieved, and he stuck by the public option as his preferred choice for revamping the insurance market.

In an interview with Philadelphia-based radio talk show host and MSNBC analyst Michael Smerconish, Obama continued to talk about his desire to bring Republican lawmakers on board. He also chastised, ever so slightly, the press and progressives for getting "a little excited" in their suspicions that he was abandoning the public plan. "Our position hasn't changed," he said.

Obama's most powerful moment, however, may have come when he addressed a caller who had supported his 2008 campaign but was concerned that the president's knees were "buckling" when it came to getting health care reform passed.

"I guarantee you," he told the caller, "we are going to get health care reform done. And I know that there are a lot of people out there who have been hand wringing and folks in the press are following every little twist and turn of the legislative process. You know, passing a big bill like this is always messy. FDR was called a socialist when he passed Social Security. JFK and Lyndon Johnson, they were both accused of a government takeover of health care, when they passed Medicare. This is the process we go through because understandably, the American people have a long tradition of being suspicious of government, until the government actually does something that helps them, and then they don't want anybody messing with whatever gets set up. And I'm confident we're going to get it done."

Obama and his Democratic allies are making a renewed push to bolster public opinion behind his health care agenda. On Wednesday, Obama hosted a call with religious leaders who backed his proposal. Later on Thursday, he is hosting an open strategy session with his campaign arm - Organizing for America - to discuss the political landscape surrounding the health care debate.

Through it all, he has stuck to a familiar script: health care reform needs to expand coverage, lower costs, and increase competition. A public option, Obama said on Thursday, is the best vehicle for achieving these goals. But no one should be "obligated to go into a public plan."

On Thursday, Obama showed a certain amount of frustration with the GOP, but he did little to indicate he was willing to give up on recruiting bipartisan support.

"As far as negotiations with Republicans, my attitude has always been, let's see if we can get this done with some consensus," he said. "I would love to have more Republicans engaged and involved in this process. I think, early on, a decision was made, by the Republican leadership that said, look, 'let's not give them a victory. Maybe we can have a replay of 1993, '94 when Clinton came in, he failed on health care and then we won in the midterm elections and we got the majority. And I think there are some folks who are taking a page out of that playbook."

"But this shouldn't be a political issue," he added. "This is an issue for the American people. There are a bunch of Republicans out there who have been working very constructively. One of them, [Sen.] Olympia Snowe in Maine, she's been dedicated on this. [Sens.] Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) are others. They've been meeting in the Senate Finance Committee. I want to give them a chance to work through these processes and we're happy to make sensible compromises. What we're not willing to do is give up on the core principle."(HuffPo)

President Barack Obama speaks during a radio interview with Michael Smerconish in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

We're heading in a positive direction.

Be ready to fight the lies...

Together, We WILL Make The Difference !
( We've done it before )

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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !
Time To Bombard Blue Dog Dem Senators
Here's the contact info for all 13

By: ZulchZulu

Thanks to OpenSecrets and OnTheIssues web sites, here is a list of the Bluedog Democrats who are consistently trying to be Republicans in terms of voting against Obama on many issues. These so-called Democrats are on record as being opposed to the Public Option in the current healthcare reform legislation.

Write them. Call them. Look up where they get their money. Check their record on the issues. And mostly, let's try to replace them if possible in upcoming elections.

CLICK HERE To Contact All 13 Blue Dogs

PLEASE SHARE !!!

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President Obama To Hold Health Care
Phone Call With Supporters

Thursday August 20th 2:30 p.m. est

President Obama is holding a live strategy meeting on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time for all Organizing for America supporters. I hope you can join us, online or by phone.

The President will update us on the fight to pass real health insurance reform -- what's happening in D.C. and what's happening around the country. He'll lay out our strategy and message going forward and answer questions from supporters like you. And we'll unveil the next actions we'll organize together.

This is a critical time in this President's administration, and in the history of our country. I hope you can join us.

Here are the details:

What: Organizing for America National Health Care Forum

When: Thursday, August 20th, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time

RSVP and submit a question for the President.

To Be Part of the Phone Call...MORE DETAILS: Click Here

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Thousands of Americans with no health coverage attend
free health clinics for much needed medical care

Remember
The 47 Million Americans
With NO Health Care At All...
Like A Third World Country

By Greg Jones
National Director
Blacks4Barack

As the debate over heath care reform continues to rachet up, I can't help but sense an omission of what the primary goal of health care reform was meant to be. We're hearing the heated back and forth regarding whether there will be a single-payer plan or a competitive Public Option Plan or even some sort of a so-called Co-Op plan. We're hearing about pre-existing conditions being covered in the new bill as well as possible lower prices for prescriptions.

We're hearing about how insurance companies will no longer be able to place an arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. Also how a limit will be placed on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses because no one in America should be broke when they get sick. We're hearing how insurance companies will be required to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies, because that saves money and that saves lives.

That's all well and very good. But the one thing we are NOT hearing...is the primary reason for health care reform. That is, how the 47 million Americans who currently have NO health coverage at all will finally get the much needed coverage. THAT is the main question....but there has been an eerie silence on that vitally important subject.

There are many questions on this issue but very few answers. EXACTLY how will the 47 million be able to receive the basic necessity of life...the ability to go to the doctor when one is sick. For those millions of you who have coverage, you have absolutely NO CLUE what life is like without that simple ability. That simple right. How absolutely frightening a simple cough or headache can be, hoping that it doesn't turn into something that needs professional medical care. Or when you get a severe toothache, but you can't go to the dentist so you fight through the agonizing pain, resorting to asking friends if they have any penicillin pills that you can take....forced to serve as your own doctor.

Or yet, a worse but not uncommon scenario. The wife who is forced to watch her husband suffer daily while his body is eaten alive by cancer, but there is nowhere they can go for medical help because they have no health care coverage at all, so he just slowly dies away as his family helplessly watches . Some claim the uninsured can simply go to emergency for care but this family finds out the hard way that you can not go to emergency for health care needed to be cured of cancer.

Remote Area Medical, aka RAM, an aid outfit that got its start helping villagers in the Amazon Rainforest, ran a free, eight-day-long clinic in Los Angeles for people in need. Hundreds of people started lining up Monday for a chance to get their teeth fixed, eyes checked and various other maladies cared for at the clinic, which opened Tuesday.

NPR's Howard Berkes reported last month on the group's tenth annual clinic in Wise, Va., where 2,700 people were treated over three days. Keep in mind, this is an organization (RAM) which got it's start helping villagers in the Amazon...and now they're here, right here in America giving much needed health care to neglected Americans as if THIS were a third world country !

And no. These people are not whom society would label the derelicts of society. These are not the so-called 'bums' or drunks or druggies. These are everyday, average, decent Americans, mothers and fathers, most of whom do in fact have jobs and work hard for a living everyday. These are people that work at your neighborhood cleaners, your pizza shops, your handyman, your cleaning women, window washers, the car wash, grocery store, cashiers at America's largest box store and the list goes on. These are good, average, hard working tax-paying Americans. And it is absolutely pathetic that our great country would be so selfish-minded and lackadaisical that we would except as normalcy the fact that 1 out of every 6 Americans are being treated like this is a third world country. It is hard to fathom the reality that Mexico, Cuba and even North Korea treat their citizens far more caringly than America when it comes to health care coverage for all.

We hear lofty catch phrases like " health care will be affordable for all " ! In fact, President Obama wrote in a recent op-ed piece " if you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform ". What does that mean exactly ? The 47 million hard working people without coverage are struggling through life without the simple basic right to see a doctor when ill because of the fact that they simply can not afford it ! If they could...they'd have it already ! Although they work hard everyday, millions of the uncovered are barely able to make ends meet now while living paycheck to paycheck.

So to say with such simplicity that any plan will be affordable is simply not automatically true. Combine all of this with the fact that legislators are now leaning toward a mandate that could basically make it a law that everyone must purchase their own health coverage or be penalized, thus potentially resulting in not only 47 million people still uncovered due to unaffordability, but now this very group, already struggling in so many ways, would fall into the classification of 'lawbreakers' ! And if there is a mandate will there be some kind of government subsidies or financial aid to truly make the coverage 'affordable' ?

It is now time to re-focus. Remember, the initial mission of health care reform was always to supply the much needed health care to the 47 million uncovered while simultaneously resolving this American embarrassment. The 47 million, plus (the numbers are actually growing with continuous job losses) who are suffering with no health coverage at all, now represent our government's new Katrina. Will our government turn their backs...as they did with Katrina victims....or will they actually correct this third-world-like American disgrace ? That is THE question ! It is up to We The People to force the right answers. And remember...Yes WE Can !


Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

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WATCH VIDEO: This Is Great !

Lil' Damon Weaver Gets His Interview with

President Obama

For months now, the little cub reporter was on a personal mission to get a one-on-one interview with The President. Today, Damon Weaver from the KEC TV News Team out of Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary not only got his dream fulfilled but also broke some big news about President Obama’s plan to address students across the country on September 8th.

The eleven-year-old Pahokee, Florida native asked some great questions concerning low-income communities, basketball, school lunches – and even bullies.

Weaver must have been satisfied with the long-awaited interview: When it was over, he said, "President Obama is now my homeboy too."

Watch Damon's report:

Yes YOU Can !

CLICK HERE if video did not appear through email server

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FLASHBACK:

A Look At The
Clinton Health Care Plan of 1993

From WIKI:

The Clinton health care plan was a 1993 healthcare reform package proposed by the administration of President Bill Clinton and closely associated with the chair of the task force devising the plan, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Bill Clinton had campaigned heavily on health care in the 1992 U.S. presidential election. The task force was created in January 1993, but its own processes were somewhat controversial and drew litigation. Its goal was to come up with a comprehensive plan to provide universal health care for all Americans, which was to be a cornerstone of the administration's first-term agenda. A major health care speech was delivered by President Clinton to the U.S. Congress in September 1993. The core element of the proposed plan was an enforced mandate for employers to provide health insurance coverage to all of their employees through competitive but closely-regulated health maintenance organizations. Opposition to the plan was heavy from conservatives, libertarians, and the health insurance industry. The industry produced a much-talked-about television ad, "Harry and Louise", in an effort to rally public support against the plan. Democrats, instead of uniting behind the President's original proposal, offered a number of competing plans of their own. By September 1994, the final compromise Democratic bill was declared dead by Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell. Opponents of the plan continued to deride it in future years as "HillaryCare". (READ MORE)

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A Quick Summary of What IS
In The Health Care Reform Bills

By: Angie Drobnik Holan
Politifact.com

With President Obama and the Democrats largely on the defensive, a lot of the debate has focused on what the bills are not. Here, we'll explain what's actually in the bills, and where the genuine disagreements lie.

What's in the bills

Democratic efforts to reform health care have two goals: Expand coverage and reduce costs. An estimated 46 million people in the United States don't have insurance. Meanwhile, health spending has grown much faster than inflation. If something isn't done, the health care programs we now have for the elderly and the poor — Medicare and Medicaid, respectively — could end up bankrupting the country in another 50 years or so.

The broad outlines for health care reform are similar in the Democratic legislation considered thus far:

• Leave employer-provided insurance in place. Close to three-quarters of the country gets health care through work, and studies show many people like their coverage. A House version of the bill seeks to broaden that coverage by imposing new taxes on large employers who don't offer health insurance.

• Health insurance exchange. To help people who have to go out and buy insurance on their own, the plan creates an exchange, a virtual marketplace where individuals and small businesses can comparison-shop. The government would regulate the exchange so that insurance companies can't discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, or charge wildly different amounts for similar coverage. (They will be able to set rates based on age, however.)

• The public option. One of the options on the exchange will be a public option, run by the government, that offers basic coverage. President Barack Obama has said the public option will keep private insurers honest by competing with them so they can't charge unfair rates for the basics. Many experts believe that the public option will be the least expensive option on the exchange.

• More for the poor. The plan expands eligibility for programs like Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Some people of modest means will receive "affordability credits" to buy plans on the health insurance exchange.

• An individual mandate . This requires people to buy insurance, unless they qualify for a hardship exemption. The expectation is that everyone will be covered, either through their employer or through the exchange. People who don't buy insurance will have to pay a penalty on their taxes.

• Electronic records. To reduce inefficiency and duplication of services, the government will invest in electronic health records, so doctors can see which tests and procedures patients have already had.

• Research on better treatments. A comparative effectiveness research center will conduct and publish scientific research to find which treatments are the most effective. The government hopes easy-to-access information for doctors, patients and insurance companies will reduce procedures and treatments that don't really work, wringing waste from the system.

• Medicare. The bill makes many changes to how Medicare pays doctors and other health-care providers. Taken as a whole, the new rules aim to pay doctors for good patient outcomes instead of paying them per procedure, also called "fee-for-service."

What's controversial

Critics have centered on a number of key issues.

• The public option: Conservatives dislike it for a couple of reasons. They argue that employers, motivated by cost, will drop their coverage and send their employees to the public option. Some believe it's a stalking horse for an eventual single-payer system; others believe it's simply unfair competition for private providers. Congress is negotiating now to put safeguards in place so the public option competes on even footing with private insurers. Those include requiring the public option to finance itself through customer premiums (i.e., no taxpayer subsidies) and to make it negotiate like any other insurance company on what it pays doctors and health-care providers. Meanwhile, proponents of the public option say it is crucial for reining in profiteering from the insurance companies.

• Cost: The plan doesn't come cheap. Covering millions of people who are now uninsured will cost billions more per year. As a way to raise revenues, President Barack Obama has proposed reducing the deductions that the wealthy are allowed to take on their taxes. The House of Representatives rejected that, deciding instead on a new tax surcharge for the wealthiest households. We're still waiting to see what kind of tax measure the Senate will consider.

• "Rationing." Critics say the program will lead to health-care rationing. They attribute that to various elements of the plans, such as the government's new role running a public option and an approach known as comparative effectiveness research that seeks to find the most efficient treatments. The bills being considered now don't allow for the comparative research to be binding on health-care plans or dictate treatment. Still, it seems reasonable to assume that health insurers will begin to act on the government information, refusing to fund treatments considered experimental or ineffective. Supporters say health care is rationed already, by insurance companies. Your comfort level on this probably depends on whom you trust most: the government or insurance companies.

What we still don't know

Obama hoped to have bills passed by the House and Senate before the August recess. That didn't happen, but the House did produce a complete draft bill, and one Senate committee — the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP — also produced a bill. But a key committee, the Senate Finance panel, left for the recess without concluding its negotiations. This committee is widely considered to be pivotal, and we don't yet know where it will weigh in on a number of issues. Among the questions yet to be answered:

• Will a public option make it into the final bill, and how will it be structured? The Finance committee is also considering, in place of the public option, a co-operative model. A co-op would not be government-run, but it's not clear if it would have enough bargaining power to offer genuine competition to private insurers, which is important to lowering costs.

• What kind of new taxes will be used to pay for health care? The Senate seems unlikely to go along with the House idea to put a surcharge on the wealthy. The Finance Committee has considered all sorts of ideas, including taxes on soda pop or capping the tax-exempt status of employer-provided insurance. What they will finally decide on is one of the great unknowns.

• Will the promised cost savings actually materialize? The independent Congressional Budget Office has examined the health care plan and concluded that it will cost about $1 trillion over 10 years and, as currently envisioned, cause a shortfall of $239 billion. But the Obama administration believes that CBO may be undervaluing cost-saving measures in the plan. The CBO says it likes to err on the side of caution. The truth is that it's very difficult to put dollar figures on many of these things, because of the size of the health care industry and the inherent unpredictability of major policy changes over many years. It's good to keep in mind that when it comes to health care reform, no one has a crystal ball.

B4B Note: It will soon be time to disregard bi-partisanship on health insurance reform. President Obama feels bi-partisanship will make Republicans more receptive to future proposals/bills. But it's time to face the fact that the Republicans are going to say NO to everything President Obama wants as they have been the 'Party of NO' since day one and will continue to be. Let's get a strong Public Option passed for...

We The People.

Thank You to our friends at Politifact

B4B

Announcing New B4B Feature:
Obama WARRIOR OF THE MONTH !

Announcing the new B4B 'Obama Warrior of the Month' ! President Obama let us know from the beginning that he can not make necessary change by himself. He needs the help of We The People.There are a great number of everyday Americans who are working diligently, giving freely of their time and efforts for The Recovery of America. They don't do it for pay or recognition. They do what they do for their love of our country. Each month B4B will salute one individual who is working hard behind-the-scene for President Obama...

working hard for America !

To nominate someone or even yourself send name,
what actions you are doing, brief bio, photo, contact info to:
Blacks4Barack@yahoo.com

Together, We WILL Make The Difference !

Photo Mosaic above by Kevin Hoffman entitled:
Out Of Many, We Are One

B4B

WATCH VIDEO:

President Obama Weekly Address
" Necessary Reform...Absurd Attacks "

President Barack Obama calls health insurance reform critical to our nations long-term economic strength and dispels the outlandish rumors being promoted by those who are defending the status-quo.

Fight The LIES...With TRUTH !

President Obama is calling all bloggers to report health reform misinformation/lies directly to The WHITE HOUSE....Email to:

Flag@WhiteHouse.gov

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through email server

B4B

CONGRATULATIONS !

Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Sotomayor !

From living in the Projects in the Bronx to the highest legal profession in The Land ! America's First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice !

...and the 'Firsts' just keep rolling in !

B4B

ACTION TIME !
President Obama: Calling All Bloggers
To Fight Against Health Reform LIES

Facts Are Stubborn Things

From THE WHITE HOUSE
Posted by Macon Phillips

Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."

Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.

In this video, Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office, addresses one example that makes it look like the President intends to "eliminate" private coverage, when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

WATCH WHITE HOUSE VIDEO:

For the record, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor, or both, you will be able to keep them. He has even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Fight The Lies...

WITH TRUTH !

CLICK HERE If video does not appear through server

B4B

Happy 48th Birthday
Mr. President !

You literally took on a mess...
Thank You !

VIDEO EXTRA:

Showing what kind of man our President is watch as he unexpected wishes White House Senior Press Reporter Helen Thomas Happy Birthday too (they share birthdays)...with cupcakes !
(Shame how George W. disrespected this American icon during his regime.
Helen Thomas has covered every President since John F. Kennedy)


CLICK HERE if video does not appear through server

B4B

WATCH VIDEO:
Your Letters To The President

Thousands of people write to The President each day. But what actually happens to your letters ? Does The President actually read them ? Here's an in-depth video that shows exactly how all letters are handled by the White House. We, at B4B were asked the other day by a FaceBook friend if President Obama ever personally responds...well...here's your answer. p.s. Hope you didn't throw that letter away !

It's A New Day !

Send Your Letters To:

President Barack Obama or
1st Lady Michelle Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

CLICK HERE if video did not appear through server

B4B

MUST WATCH VIDEO:

Health Industry Whistleblower Exposes Truth
Behind Anti Health Care Reform

Looking back over his long career, Potter sees an industry corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed. According to Potter, insurers have every incentive to deny coverage — every dollar they don't pay out to a claim is a dollar they can add to their profits, and Wall Street investors demand they pay out less every year. Under these conditions, Potter says, "You don't think about individual people. You think about the numbers, and whether or not you're going to meet Wall Street's expectations."

Potter exposes the tactics and the reasons Insurance/Drug companies and the GOP/Blue Dogs will fight to the death AGAINST Health Care Reform.

ACTION TIME !
EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS !
Send This Everywhere !

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

B4B

Senators Baucus and Grassley

Sad Day For Health Care Reform

Senate Committee

Dropping Public Option !

Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — After weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits two key Democratic priorities but incorporates provisions to slow the explosive rise in medical costs, officials said.

These officials said participants were on track to exclude a requirement many congressional Democrats seek for large businesses to offer coverage to their workers. Nor would there be a provision for a government insurance option, despite President Barack Obama's support for such a plan.

The three Democrats and three Republicans from the Senate Finance Committee were considering a tax of as much as 35 percent on very high-cost insurance policies, part of an attempt to rein in rapid escalation of costs. Also likely to be included in any deal was creation of a commission charged with slowing the growth of Medicare through recommendations that would take effect automatically unless overturned by Congress.

"We're going to get agreement here," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman, said Monday. "The group of six really wants to get to 'yes.'"

Obama has outlined two broad goals for legislation he is struggling to win from Congress: expansion of health insurance coverage to millions who lack it, and reining in increases in costs.

Like bills drafted by Democrats, the proposal under discussion by the six Finance Committee members would bar insurance companies from denying coverage to any applicant. Nor could insurers charge higher premiums on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.

But it jettisons other core Democratic provisions in a reach for bipartisanship on an issue that has so far produced little.

The effort received a boost during the day from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, normally a close ally of Republicans. In a letter to committee leaders, the business group called for the panel to "act promptly, preferably before" the Senate's scheduled vacation at the end of next week. In doing so, the business organization dealt a blow to the Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other GOP lawmakers who have called repeatedly for Democrats to slow down.

Read Rest of Article

Meanwhile, you'll start hearing new rants about a so-called "Co-Op" Plan (baby Public Options in each state) instead of a true, strong national Public Option Plan. Here, Howard Dean quickly explains why this is just another health industry con.

WATCH VIDEO #1:

VIDEO #2 : Rep. Maxine Waters breaks down the truth about Blue Dog Democrats and Public Option

This is turning out to be ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC ! It is unbelievable that so many politicians on both sides of the aisle are so in the back pockets of the lobbyists/corporations that they would all turn their backs on the needs of our country...even going against our President's wishes. This is a sad day in America. President Obama warned us. He said he could not do it alone. It is time for We The People to rally together TO SCREAM OUT IN RECORD NUMBERS AGAINST BOTH the Dems and Repubs who are against us.

This is OUR country and they are supposed to represent US !

CLICK HERE if videos did not appear through server

B4B

B4B
Person Of The Week
Ms. Valerie Jarrett
President Obama Senior Advisor

Look for Ms. Valerie Jarrett on the cover of this week's New York Times in an article entitled "The Ultimate Obama Insider". Had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Jarrett this week...absolutely great person.

B4B

Video:
President Obama's Weekly Address

July 25, 2009: The President discusses a key factor that has been considered in the development of the health insurance reform proposals that are being considered: the impact of reform on small business.

President Obama wants to hear from you. Go to WhiteHouse.gov to read a new Council of Economic Advisers report and give your feedback.

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through server
B4B

A Letter From The President
Regarding Health Care Reform

Dear Friend,

As you read this, we are closer than ever to passing comprehensive health insurance reform that benefits American families and small businesses. Despite all the back and forth in the news right now, it is important to understand just how far we've come in this challenging process.

That's why I'm holding a press conference tonight at 8pm ET, and writing to let everyone know where we are, what's ahead, and why health insurance reform is so important.

Let me be clear: although Congress is still debating parts of the legislation we have achieved critical consensus on several key areas:

If you already have health insurance: reform will provide you with more security and stability. It will limit your own out of pocket costs and prevent your insurance company from dropping your coverage if you get too sick. You'll also have affordable insurance options if you lose or change your job. And it will cover preventive care like check-ups and mammograms that save lives and money.

If you don't have health insurance: you will finally have guaranteed access to quality, affordable health care, and you can choose the plan that best suits your family's needs. And no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

Now, I realize that the last few miles of any race are the hardest to run, but we can't stop now. There's no dispute about it: we cannot control our long-term fiscal health as a nation without health insurance reform. American families and small businesses understand that the health insurance status quo is taking away those things that they value most about health care. The stability and security that comes with knowing that you can get the treatment you need, when you need it. Without reform, we are consigning our children to a future of skyrocketing premiums and crushing deficits.

We have to seize this opportunity and pass health insurance reform this year. You can help by forwarding this email to your family and friends and letting them know what's at stake in this debate.

Thank you,
Barack Obama

P.S. Tune in to tonight's press conference on health insurance reform at 8pm ET on WhiteHouse.gov.

VIDEO: Rachel Maddow Demolishes
Pat Buchanan's Racial Ignorance

Explains America was built by slaves...not JUST Whites;
that Blacks DID die in the civil war and more.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

CLICK B4B if video does not appear through server

B4B

WATCH:
2 Videos Reveal GOP Scare Tactics AGAINST
Health Care Reform

Video 1: Senator Merkley (Ore) Exposes GOP 'Strategist' (Con-Artist)
Frank Lunz's Talking Points AGAINST Health Care Reform

Video 2: Shows Key Strategy GOP will use AGAINST Health Care Reform...FEARMONGERING !
See how many times you hear these phrases this week from the so-called 'liberal media'.

The Time Is NOW !

CLICK B4B if videos do not appear through server