The Health Care Speech

CNN has part of the script up. 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. Nonsense. Of course there is no "requirement" to change but the incentives are there that will lead to it, especially employer provided coverage. Most analysis shows millions will lose employer coverage and end up being funneled to the public plan. 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. Guess what, if you have group coverage through your employer this is already the case. My plan can't drop my coverage. There is no preexisting condition problem so long as you had insurance with your previous employer. There is nothing in this for people who have decent employer provided coverage. In fact your coverage will change for the worse and you will likely end up paying more, either in premiums or taxes. 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. Ok, so these are the people that insurance reform should target, the self employed and those who work for companies that don't offer insurance. 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. That could actually work but the devil is in the details. He still though is short of details in his speech but long on promises. This is desperation time for him. What can be said about a president that can't get his centerpiece passed while he has super majorities in both the Senate and House? I'm pretty sure something will get passed. It will be political Armageddon if they don't. They'll pass something and declare victory