Posted by
SLW on Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:23:26 PM
President Barack Obama said Saturday he is ready to compromise with Republicans on health care
if they are serious about it, but that an overhaul must go forward.
"Let's get this done," he said....
Obama to GOP on health care: `Let's get this done'
Published - Feb 27 2010
By ERICA WERNER - Associated Press Writer
President Barack Obama said Saturday he is ready to compromise with Republicans on health care
if they are serious about it, but that an overhaul must go forward.
"Let's get this done," he said. Obama's comments in his weekly Internet and radio address, two days after an all-day bipartisan summit across from the White House, were the latest sign that Democrats are getting set to try to pass health care legislation without any Republicans on board.
Success
will require colossal efforts on the part of Obama and Democratic
leaders to round up votes after a year of corrosive debate and a Senate
special-election upset that threw the overhaul effort into limbo last
month. But Obama and the Democrats reject the piecemeal approach sought
by Republicans and have no intention of scrapping their 10-year, $1
trillion bill and starting over, as the GOP demands.
"I
am eager and willing to move forward with members of both parties on
health care if the other side is serious about coming together to
resolve our differences and get this done. But I also believe that we
cannot lose the opportunity to meet this challenge," Obama said.
"The
tens of millions of men and women who cannot afford their health
insurance cannot wait another generation for us to act. Small
businesses cannot wait. Americans with pre-existing conditions cannot
wait. State and federal budgets cannot sustain these rising costs.
"It is time
for those of us in Washington to live up to our responsibilities to the
American people and to future generations," Obama said.
Obama's
legislation would insure some 30 million more Americans over 10 years
with a new requirement for nearly everyone to carry insurance and would
end insurance company practices such as denying coverage to people with
medical problems. Republicans generally oppose mandates that make
everyone get insurance, and although they want people with health
conditions to be able to buy insurance, they would try to address the
problem without new requirements on insurers. Read More
The reality is that Obama does not need any Republican votes to get his gigantic bill passed. He clearly is not ready to compromise on issues such as tort reform, selling insurance accross state lines, medical savings accounts, etc. Mr. Obama wants every American dependent on government for their health care. He talks a good game, but is one of the most partisan presidents that we have ever had.
Oh, BTW, "McCain would have been worse for the country," according to some conservatives. Do not buy that. With McCain and Republican majorities, we would be implementing health care reform that would solve the problems in health care, not make them worse and bankrupt the country in the process. That's why elections matter.
slw