Obama: US would go bankrupt without health changes

[NJmaverick]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he did a full court press for a health care system remake because "this country was going to go bankrupt."
At the same time, Obama said in a nationally broadcast interview Friday he isn't worried that his bold reach for a $1.3 trillion, 10-year makeover might cause his public approval ratings to plummet. He told CBS's "The Early Show" that forcing changes in the system was "the right thing to do."
The president also said he remains confident that "if you have a good policy and you're trying to do the right thing, over time the politics works out." He was asked about polls showing his own standings in descent and a continuing revulsion among some elements of the public over the sweeping health care measure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100402/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_health_care_overhaul

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Amusing, Since RomneyCare Does Almost Zero To Slow Cost Increases

The only provision to slow costs is the new tax on many in the Middle Class, which he spun as the "Cadillac Tax".

[denimgirly]

7. You are one of the few on DU that has the Guts to speak the truth

If he wanted cost control you'd think he would have given the PO or better yet a Single Payer an actual look. Wall Street has shown it loves this plan (record highs for the industry).

[depakid]

14. It really is since the verdict is in on Massachusett with respect to cost containment

That said, the president has to spin it that way. What other choice does he have?

[ClarkUSA]

15. Yeah, I guess the Republicans are right and all the economists at the CBO are wrong.

:eyes:

[Igel]

17. The CBO scored a bill.

Not the health care program. Take out the savings from the student loan and there were no savings in the HCR bill.

Even then, the CBO was constrained in the assumptions that it was allowed to make and actually complained that the process was gamed and there was no way to produce a reliable score.

Of course, keep in mind how the score on the stimulus job creation as of, IIRC, January was billed. The CBO returned a likely interval of 0.9 million to 3.5 million jobs created, with numerous caveats and saying there's a lot of uncertainty as to what a "job" was and what "created" meant. Still, it was reported as "up to 3.5 million jobs created"--language usually used when the number intended to be understood isn't far below the upper limit. This was fairly quickly picked up as "The CBO said 3.5 million jobs were created." Although 3.5 million was as likely as 0.9 million, nobody said, "The CBO said only 0.9 million jobs were created."

[Peacetrain]

2. Its like a root canal.. It is going to save your teeth, but it is painful in the process

Health Care Reform was much needed

[NJmaverick]

3. I agree, Obama is not over selling his case

this was an issue that really needed to be addressed.

[Peacetrain]

4. He never oversells.. and that is the one of the few beefs I have with

the President. But that is just who he is.

[impik]

5. This country is too stupid for its president.That's all

[NJmaverick]

6. There are certainly times I feel that way

[PufPuf23]

9. I can see why.

Goes to show a good education doesn't always take or can be mis-used.

[Dawgs]

16. Now that's a billboard I would like to see in Atlanta.

:hi:

[PufPuf23]

8. Cuts in military and a more progressive tax rate are simple answers.

The "HCR" is regressive policy for economics and health care and not what a majority of the American people wanted.

[NJmaverick]

10. If your idea was enacted by Congress

in 2010 there would be a veto proof majority of Republicans who would gleefully roll back every single one of those measures.

[PufPuf23]

11. I doubt it.

Most Americans regardless of party would rather see higher taxes on the top 10% and less war as well as a better solution to health care.

[Skittles]

12. trouble is, your changes changes nothing

[jeanpalmer]

13. What really was ready to go "bankrupt"

was the private health care system itself because it had become a dinosaur. It had become too costly and inneficient, primarily because it was a cost-plus system with guaranteed funding lacking competition where all the incentives were to increase costs. Right in the middle of that mess was the private insurance system. People/companies were dropping coverage because they couldn't afford it. In the normal course, through capitalism's creative destruction process, the system would have imploded. A new less costly system was poised to evolve. But Obama saved the old system and expanded it, along with all its inefficiency and high cost attributes. He locked that system in place, ensuring that people forever will be paying exorbitant sums for health care.

The problem was at the start where he failed to ask, "Why are we paying more than twice as much for health care as other developed nations?" He along with the Senate brushed aside that question and set out to entrench the current innefficient system. Ultimately, his system will bankrupt the country because it's a huge inneficiency, like others we have, that weigh us down and sap our strength and prevent us from being competitive in the world market.