President Reiterates Public Option's Benefits, Also Stresses Broader Goals of Healthcare Reform

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Christine Bowman

I submitted a question for the president (only three out of thousands were ultimately featured), listened in on the telephone conference, and watched President Obama's remarks and Q&A online. Here are some impressions.

Speaking with supporters brought together by Organizing for America at DNC headquarters as well as online and via teleconferencing, President Obama Thursday sought to dispel myths and rally his troops for the ongoing struggle to bring change to America’s healthcare system.  Whereas opponents of reform have narrowed their focus to disparaging the idea of a “public option,” the president reiterated his support for offering a public insurance option but also emphasized that his reform plan is much broader than that one element, which he described as an attempt to provide consumers an additional choice and insurers some incentive to improve.

Standing before a banner proclaiming “Health Insurance Reform Now,” the president began by taking off his jacket and literally rolling up his sleeves. He reminded volunteers that “Victory in an election wasn’t the change that we sought. It [has] to manifest itself in the lives of everyday people.”

Asking supporters of reform to help “cut through the noise and misinformation,” the president then elaborated on his conception of the public option. “We’re going to have a marketplace … the overwhelming majority of those [marketplace options] will be private plans. … The public option is just one option. It will be voluntary. The only thing we’re talking about is … expanding consumer choice.” He described the public option as setting a benchmark for private insurers, who would then respond by shaping their own plans to be competitive.

The president also stressed reforms that will change the way private insurers will do business. In order to be part of the marketplace of options, they will be required to abide by new rules -- like no exclusion from coverage due to preexisting conditions; no lifetime or yearly caps on coverage; and no denial of coverage for those who lose their jobs.

In the question and answer period, President Obama emphasized that “The status quo is unsustainable.” He argued that “wages and incomes flatlined” in part because employers have had to cover ever rising health insurance premiums which left them unable to give employees regular wage increases. The goal of government-enacted reform, he said, is to create “a set of consumer protections,” and to give some help to control costs – “making sure people are getting a good deal for the premiums they are ... paying.”

The president had reassuring words for seniors in particular. “We think Medicare is a sacred trust. Part of what we want to do is strengthen Medicare by taking away the doughnut hole” and bolstering the program’s funding by making Medicare Advantage plans bid for their participation, saving $17 billion a year.

Asked if a public option would be available to everybody who wants one, the president said, “I continue to support a public option. I think it is important. I think it will help drive down costs and give consumers choices. … [but] the public option is just one component of a broader plan."

In closing, the president addressed the politics of organized resistance to reform. He accused some reform opponents of seeking to defeat idealism and the “Yes, we can” story line.  “They have been trying to [re]write that story again and again.  We are not going to give up now.”

The president spoke and took questions for 65 minutes. Warming up the crowd briefly prior to his arrival at the podium, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) urged continued, unrelenting effort from supporters of healthcare reform: "We need you to keep organizing, pounding the pavement, manning the phones ... together we will pass health insurance reform this year," she vowed.

It seems clear, America will get only as much healthcare reform -- or progress in other areas -- as it demands. Politics will determine policy. As FDR once did, Obama, too, is looking to citizens to make it happen. As Obama told activists in the room and across the country today, "Let's go get 'em."

The writer is a former BuzzFlash staff member who still believes in and works for change.

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION