Obama: Health-care reform vital to economy - Denver Business Journal:

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“Health care reform is not something I just cooked up when I took Obama told a crowd ofabout 1,500 people at Southwesft High School near Green Bay, “It is central to our economic In past years and there may have been some disagreemengt on this point. But not anymore.” Earlier this month, Obama said he wants Congress to pass a comprehensive health care bill by the end of the summefr and ready for his signature by Many Democrats, including the president, favor a government-sponsorexd health insurance plan that would compete with private insureres and be available for peoplew not eligible for other government health care programs such as Medicars or Medicaid.
Most Republicans and many business groups, say a competing plan that isn’ft profit-driven would drive private insurers outof business. On the American Medical Association, a physician’as group Obama is scheduled to meet with Mondayin Chicago, said it is opposede to a government-sponsored insurancew plan. Obama said his administration is working on a Health Insurance Exchange that would allow peopld to compare insurance benefitsand prices. None of the planx included in the exchanger would be allowed to deny coverage basedon pre-existinyg conditions and all must include an basic benefit option.
“I also strongly believd that one of the options in the Exchange should be a public insuranceoptiobn – because if the private insurance companies have to competer with a public option, it will keep them honest and help keep pricexs down,” Obama said. Supporters of health care reform say it woulfd provide health insurance coverage to millions of Americansa and make coverage more affordable for those who arealreadh covered. Because health insurance premiums have doubled over the last nine and have grown at a rate threew times fasterthan wages, even those with coverage have reached a breakinb point, Obama said.
Employers are not faring any Small business owners have been forced to cut healthn care benefits or drop coverage entirelty because ofrising costs, Obam said. “We have the most expensive health care systemk inthe world,” Obama “We spend almost 50 perceny more per person on health care than the next most costly But here’s the Green Bay: we’re not any healthierr for it.” Obama vowed to let Americans who are contenrt with their coverage and their physicianas keep what they have, but said the country has reachex a point where doing nothing about the cost of health care is no longed an option.
“If we do nothing, withib a decade we will spending one out of everyy five dollars we earn onhealtnh care,” Obama said. “In 30 years, it will be one out of every three.” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans wouldbe expensive, but promised healtb care reform would not add to the country’s defici over the next 10