February 28th, 2011
01:31 PM ET
Obama supports change in health care law mandateWASHINGTON (CNN) - Responding to fierce criticism of his new health care law, President Obama is now supporting an amendment that would allow states to opt out of key requirements sooner if they can match or come up with a better plan. “If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does without increasing the deficit,” the president said, “you can implement that plan and we’ll work with you to do it.” “I will go to bat for whatever works, no matter who or where it comes from.” Under the Affordable Care Act states have the flexibility of withdrawing from mandates in 2017. But a bipartisan amendment introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Scott Brown (R-MA) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) pushes up that timeline allowing states to opt out starting in 2014. The president announced his support for that legislation in a White House speech to the National Governors Association, where he also took the rare step of agreeing with his once Republican campaign rival, the former governor of Massachusetts. “I agree with Mitt Romney who recently said he's proud of what he accomplished on health care in Massachusetts and supports giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions,” the president said. “He's right,’’ Mr. Obama added. “Alabama's not going to have exactly the same needs as Massachusetts or California or North Dakota. We believe in that flexibility.” The health care law has been under fire from Republicans who have called for its repeal. It is also being challenged as unconstitutional in federal courts around the country. But the White House has always been quick to point out that some courts, like in Michigan and Virginia, have ruled in their favor. However the president’s signature initiative remains highly unpopular and he acknowledged that fact in his remarks to the governors. “I’m aware that I’ve not convinced everybody here to be a member of the affordable care act fan club,” he joked. |
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Don't worry, the next president can just deem Obamacare unconstitutional just like Barry did for DOMA. I think I could grow to like this new world order.
The President didn't declare DOMA "unconstitutional". If you were paying attention, all he said was that the DOJ wouldn't defend it in court. Which they don't have to do – no rule exists that forces the DOJ to defend every law Congress passes when it is challenged in court. They will still continue to enforce the law until such time either the SCOTUS declares it unconstitutional or the Congress repeals the law. Get your facts straight.
Read the Washington Post
Obama declares DOMA unconstitutional...As you've no doubt already heard, the Obama administration announced today that the President now views Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional; the administration will stop defending it in court.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/02/obama_and_doma.html
Very Good, Jay in NC. A columnist misquotes the president, and the misquote is now what the president said. As I recall the president actually said something like DOMA doesn't pass a constitutional muster, and therefore DOJ won't defend suits against it. That is NOT the president declaring DOMA as unconstitutional.
Are you auditioning for hate radio by quoting a misquote?
CNN reported this on Feb. 23, 2011 and quoted Holder.
http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/23/attorney-general-declares-doma-unconstitutional/
Holder wrote, “the President and I have concluded that classifications based on sexual orientation warrant heightened scrutiny and that, as applied to same-sex couples legally married under state law, Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional.”
Don't worry folks. The states will simply cancel all provisions of the Healthcare Bill and tell Obama that they're insuring just as many people for less money – even though they won't be doing anything of the kind. President Lapdog will believe whatever they say, and the Healthcare Bill will die on its own stick. It's clear by President Lapdog's lack of performance and obedience to the Republicans that he never really cared whether or not he'd be allowed to do any of the things he said he would. He just wanted to get elected.
That a boy Ben, give all your money to the insurance companies so they can give their ceo
's a 15 million dollor bonus. The hell with all the little sick kids that don't have insurance.
Ben must a member of Congress. Top of the line health care for the entire family, funded by taxpayers. Let the rest of the populace die from lack of medical attention under the Kenyan inspired GOP healthcare plan.
Be willing to bet that Obama has never read the entire bill. ($$$$) It does nothing to reduce rates charged by Insurance Companies. They may have to insure you with a preexisting condition, but you will pay for it. Not to mention all the Government involvement to try and implement and maintain all the red tape and fine print. Just get it right and quit telling Americans that "you know best". Trust me, you don't.
@mj did you ever hear of the public option? That would have brought down the rates, but what did the republicans say? Hell No
Keeping the government beaurocracy? Meicaid and medicare have significantly less overhead than private insurance, and so less waste. it's about 8% vs 35%, depending.
Spoken like a true King. If we are really good maybe he will allow us to do other things too!
Thank you dear leader!
No, spoken like a person who has a job to do, which in his case, is to LEAD. He is the President afterall.
His comment is a wise and open one, a humble statement that you'd never hear from W. It should not be a crime to be open to compromising, you know, or would you just rather hate Obama regardless of what he says, whether you agree with him or not?
This information isn't as surprising or newsworthy as its being portrayed. The Healthcare bill wasn't supposed to be the "Be All End All" debate of healthcare for all Americans. It was the foundation for us to start the 21st century providing care for our citizens so that decades from now much like SS and Medicare it can be amended and changed to accomadate modern needs. Pretending that the gov't should do nothing to make this change is ignorance at its finest and if it weren't for the new Republican majority in Congress it would NOT be the largest piece of legislation the Obama admin passed becaue Immigration Reform is the next thing this country needs to settle sooner than later
Well played, Mr. President, well played. Time and time again, he encourages Repubs to offer their alternatives. Time and time again, they have nothing to give. The current group of governing Repubs has to be one of the most obstinate and ineffective in history, and our Obama is casting a floodlight on that fact. Brilliant politician, indeed! (Thanks for noticing, Mr. Barbour).
I agree with you "Do your research". The GOP has no plans they just like to obstruct and play to their base.
Well played? That is the problem, this administration thinks it is all a game. Millions of people out of work, national debt up by trillions more and the Liberals are concerned about scoring points.
Liberals hate to hear the grownups in the room tell them no. No you can not spend more than you have, no you can not take from that other person, no you can not go to Chuck E. Cheese. To the mind of a child it sounds like obstruction but to the world it is called being responsible.
let me get this, let me get this, you guys pay more for healthcare than any other niaotn on this planet & yet you don't have the best healthcare & about 30 million of your citizens don't have any form of health care. The private insurance are jacking up prices & making record profits year on year which you don't seem to object to. Your government want to reform this broken system and it seems some of you are ready to start a revolution. You guys are either brainwashed by foxnews or you need your heads examined
The primary objective is to allow access for everyone either through your employer or purchase from a suite of plans in the exchange if your employer doesn't offer insurance. The exchange will offer the same plans that Congress and other Federal Employees have.
The mandate is so everyone has skin in the game and takes responsiblity for having coverage of their choosing. That way others aren't paying for free emergency room charges for the uninsured.
Comment to "Do your research"
You are right on the money with your comment. The Repubs have offered NOTHING but their now usual right-wing extremist BS and NO new ideas. This Registered Republican is totally disgusted with the current Republican Leadership(?????) being led by the nose by the extremists.
Phil is a Liberal plant.
Jay – calm down. everything will be okay. The US slide into the 3rd World as a result of the love affair between the investment bankers and pols of of both parties, but you'll still be able to watch football, NASCAR and the Bachelor.
So what was new in the Democrats plan? Everything they put in their was in an earlier proposal (HillaryCare) or taken from Massachusetts law.
Amendment to text of H.R. 3962 Is the latest Republican health care proposal.
Actually, the Democrats plan was the Republican's answer to the Clinton health plan. Silly, Dems, they actually thought if they took all the Republican ideas, the Republicans would vote for it – they forgot they were dealing with unethical corporate owned politicians who had one goal and one goal only – get the black guy with the funny name out of the White House.
you got that right Annie
That's reasonable – stick with the national plan unless you can come up with something better. I'm not holding my breath on the republican governors though, they haven't had an original thought since Reagan and certainly aren't thinking past the next election.
Even the old system was better. At least it didn't involve working Americans subsidising the health insurance of welfare bums, and it didn't involve dictatorial measures from the petty tyrants in Washington.
Umm...you are subsidizing the health care of "welfare bums" when they go to the emergency room and have no money to pay. Do you really think the hospitals give care for free? That is why health insurance costs so much for all of us! We need to make EVERYONE pay their share...it they did, the cost would go DOWN for ALL of us.
Cool, I got published! @Andrew: You're wocelme, I should note part of what helped me organize the advertising page was by using the OIOPublisher plugin, the same one the Cow uses for his advertising.I came up with this approach particularly because I don't really have a narrowly defined niche, so it helped to know what kind of niches my audience was interested in instead.
these repugs is going to opt out and watch the people without voice to lay by the roadside and die. the rich and folks that can afford it will be ok though, who the hell care about the poor working class and lower middle class that will be left out in the cold. hell why we worrying they are the scrounge in america any way, how dare obama to be concerned with these folks withougt a voice. he should move to the center and forget this folks and put himself in a better position to win the presidency. if every one participate
Well macdaamia nuts, how about that.
The issue here is that if Republicans believe they can do better using their "every day common sense ideas" the healthcare law gives them an opportunity to do so. That's where the Supreme Court will look too: the states have been given the opportunity to opt out of the law by instituting their own ideas. Show us that your ideas are better and then you don't have to do Obamacare. The bottom line though is that they know their ideas don't work and will never propose anything. Instead they'll continue to argue about constitutionality, big government etc. But you guys have the right to do it your way if your way is better than Obama's way. Prove him wrong since you guys have "common sense ideas". Show us the bacon.
Funny, they weren't flexible in 2010 when they were ramming it down our throats. BTW...why wait until 2014 to let states come up with their own plan. How about another target date...like now!
I heard comprimise here, not the typical conservative response to throwout the entire program.
We needed a base to work form- we have that- move on.
Here is a plan, quit making hospitals treat every swinging dick that comes through their emergency room doors unless it is deemed life threatening, triage to a Doc in the box with immunity from lawsuit. Here is a plan, if an illegal shows up for treatment at a hospital, they are treated and then deported with their bill levied against their Nation of origin. Here is a plan, go after those abusing Medicare and stop funding them, here is a plan, if you smoke, are obese, and don't take care of yourself then you don't get Federal assistance for Medical treatment, you are a blight on society.
Oh swell. And here I am, stuck in Flori-duh, the state with the guy who found enough dumb people to vote for him even though he defrauded taxpayers out of millions and millions via Medicare fraud. PLEASE, Mr. President, don't leave my health in this turkey's hands.
annie s-
We love Rick Scott in Florida...I find it humorous that you beg Obama to not leave YOUR healthcare in someone else's hands. Just like a Libtard, most responsible people take care of their own healthcare in their own hands... Do Floridians a favor and head back up to Jersey or New Yawk where you's belong...
Voted for a crook..humorous as he was never convicted of any crime now was he? Oh wait, I know he plead the fifth 75 times so he must be a crook of course if you knew the law you plead once you plead all. Of course Alex Sink making millions off the banking and credit card gouging schemes during her tenure with the Banks would have made for such a better Governor.
GUT THEM RICK, GUT THEM!
This is what's wrong with people today – 'don't leave my health in this turkey's hands.' – isn't your health in your own hands!? Are you just sitting around waiting for the government to take care of you? Can you get onto your Employer's insurance? Can you not purchase insurance on your own? Your health is NOT in someone else's hands, it's ONLY in your own. Take some personal responsibility!
No, my healthcare is not in my own hands – nor is yours. I spent 15 years as an administrator of a medical center, and I'm now a small business owner. I assure you, your insurance carrier is in total control – whether you know it or not. They decide what services and medications they will cover, regardless of what your physician thinks. If the Healthcare bill fails, they will also be back to being drop you altogether if you get sick and limit the amount of coverage you can have in your lifetime. Of course, if you're self employed and have a pre existing condition (and to Blue Cross, pre existing conditions include allergies and marriage counseling) they will probably deny you insurance altogether. Over 50? Good luck finding any affordable insurance – I pay $1600 per month for my husband and myself and that's with a $5000 deductible per person each year. Want to pay for your own care? I hope you never need anything like heart bypass, it has a ticket of $150,000 these days. Don't dare tell me I'm sitting around waiting for the government; it just proves you know absolutely nothing about the state of health insurance today.
Oh, about that loving Rick Scott thing – wait until he sinks the state altogether and then tell me you're happy you voted for a crook..
How can the GOPTea Party come up with their own alternative plan at the state level?..............when they are already victimising state workers on their trumped-up orchestrated budget cuts!
Ofcourse, creating a state-controlled health care program will bust the budget....so the GOP will think it's "morally" right to leave it the Big Corporations and the KOCH BROTHERS to run it as a business...deny coverage for any medical condition, increase rates arbitrarily and trade it on the stock exchange!!!
Why not GOP, its all for profit at the expense of the dying American Healthcare System!!!!!
In other words, Obama is staging a tactical retreat, hoping to minimise his losses, to avoid a complete rout.
I don't think so
Don't think so Henry, we'll find out in 2012
This is pretty smart politically. He's taking the air out of the argument by saying if you have a better idea go for it. When it comes out in the campaign he'll be able to turn it around and say, so what's your idea? Poll after poll says americans think health care is broken.
This puts the ball in the court of the Republicans and their Lobbyist friends. LOL
That's right; the Republicans have no options to suggest. But they keep doing every thing they can to obstruct anything the President or the Democrats want to do. Then they whine that the Democrats never accomplish anything.
The Presidents remarks mean nothing, he is positioning himself as a compromiser with CNN and other news outlets going along without much questioning. The most telling paragraph is :
"It is also being challenged as unconstitutional in federal courts around the country. But the White House has always been quick to point out that some courts, like in Michigan and Virginia, have ruled in their favor."
Although two courts have ruled "with them" in some measures, the entire law has been declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL by the judge in Florida because of the Commerce Clause.
Just thought you readers here may want to understand the whole story that CNN won't talk about.
Just by saying you're going to vote for Sarah Palin tehier 1. Proves you never voted for him in the first place. Or, 2. Even worst, you've been unemployed so long that you've allowed the right-wing news-media brainwash you into voting against your own interest. If you're unemployed now you want to live in a Republican dominated society get use to the propensity of facing homelessness and precariousness. Guess who voted against the anti-outsourcing bill? The Jobs Act? etc. Haha IDIOT
He might. The problem is how. The gonnrvmeet produces nothing. Wealth is produced by people working in the real market. So the possible solutions are:- The gonnrvmeet pays the debt with the money of those who work in the real market (no gonnrvmeet employees or politicians)- The gonnrvmeet negotiates with the banks to refinance the debts. The collateral is the money of those who work in the real market and it's going to be used to pay the debts. When your collateral is something you care about, you pay your debt. When the collateral is something that doesn't belong to you, why would you pay?- The gonnrvmeet negotiates with the banks a full write off of the debts. It's not for free, just a PR move. The banks are going to get benefits somewhere else and they're going to be paid with the money of those who work in the real market.It's simple math. Wealth can't be created out of thin air. Somebody has to work hard to create it. Money, on the other hand, can be manipulated endlessly. But in the end, it's going to be backed up by the wealth created by those who work in the real market.
I see gov Dayton (MN) wants to raise taxes on the people of MN. Single aneerrs above 85K and couples above 150K will see a tax hike if approved. Good thing the House and Senate are (R) or this would definitely become reality in MN.Hey, Dayton, try something alittle different for you .CUT SPENDING!!Just a thought!
There will not be a new chapter in Profiles in Courage. How sad.
How do you define political courage? Maybe it's getting the rid of all the excuses and forcing your congress to actually do something for the people.
Or making it clear to the people who is working in their best interest and who is not. That's how the new chapter starts.
He is reading the tea leaves...The law probably has some merit. It was the way such a major piece of legislation was enacted that is the problem. Bend over here it is doesn't work. Pelosi, Reid and Obama all failed in their jobs.
republicans love to sit on the side lines and tell votes that the problems that are killing this country is going to be healthcare but what is killing this country is the current healthcare Obama is telling these idiots come up with a better solution and he will then stand on the side lines like they have been doing look at what they want to do to the unions claiming that they are killing the states that are in the red if that were true how come the right to work states are in the red so were is the shared sacrifice in this country
Sounds like a double standard to me. If Barry does it its OK.
I'm a conservative and this is music to my ears. That's why the state system was set up in the first place: Each state comes up with a different health plan, some work and some don't. For the states where it doesn't work so well, they can look to other states and adopt some of their ideas. This is an evolutionary process, which in the end will yield the best health care. At least thats that's the way it is supposed to work in a republic. However, when you have only one centalized law (i.e. Federal), you get bogged down in administrative minutiea and get stuck with some thing nobody likes.
Anyway, unless he was misquoted, I applaud the "new" Obama. I guess Iowa caucuses are not so far off , because he is really taking a huge step to the center/right on this. We'll just have to wait and see.
A true leader challenges us all to be better, and is open to others who come up with better solutions. President Obama, you are that man. George Bush wouldn't ever make a humble statement like that.
If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does without increasing the deficit
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Checkmate - What will the argument be now by the Republican governors– the target is clear to cover more people and reduce the deficit. Whose not in favor of this plus you get to come up with your own program?
Seems to me that only way that can happen is by reducing the cost of health care and getting the insurance companies to lower cost so that states can afford it.
The other alternative is to forget about the people who can't afford healthcare and close the emergency rooms. That's going to go over real well. Also, you can argue that healthcare cost don't contribute to the budget deficit - good luck with that.
About emergency rooms. Giving people insurance will not lower the cost of emergency rooms. It will just shift the cost from one entity to another. Hospitals will still charge $1000 hour for any one that walks in the door. What we need is a law that says that the emergency room is for an emergency. Anyone that is seeking basic care should be refereed to a clinic. This would lower everyones cost, the gov. insurance co. and individuals.
Now the governors will be calling for the public option, because the politicans will not be able to convince their insurance buddies to voluntarily lower premiums. No more hiding behind political mumbo-gumbo, the people want solutions instead of watching insurance companies build big office buildings.
Yet another waiver to make Obamacare appear more palatable when, in actuality, it is the most horrible piece of legislation enacted by the Obama or any other president for that matter..
"by Obama.." for all you rabid grammar police.
More like Bye Bye Obama!
Annie S, much admiration. I noticed people stopped attacking you as a 'libtard' waiting to be taken care of by the federal government, when you talked about your work history and the fact that you're a small business owner. So many generalizations, people parroting what they've read or heard–sad and frustrating to see. I talked with a health insurance broker today–he sees firsthand how the insurers operate–and he was in favor of Reform, including the individual mandate. (He'd also like to see work done on 'incentives'–the inflated fees for service that many doctors concoct.) I wish you the best with your situation. From what I can see, giving flexibility to the states is something Sebellius has been talking about since Reform passed, and it's consistent with other Obama initiatives like Race to the Top...
Now I see and Understand the Republican plan or pledge:-
1) Forget jobs because we have no real valid ideas how to push our money box of small business and big business to add jobs. We'll ban unions that will solve the problem, never mind they agreed to pay or benefit cuts or increased contributions.Listen to Koch!!
2)Tie up the House and Senate In two week Tranches on getting the $61bn cuts. Ah by the way never mind that even the most Republican of economists says best 0.25% reduction in GDP = 100 to 150K increase in unemployed numbers. The most optimistic democrat says 0.5% down in GDP =400K to 600k job losses and remember GDP growth less than 3.5 % means new labour market entrants add to that as well. Ooops forgot to add the additional losses by Republican governors cutting state budgets/public employees and requiring tax increases in future to have a 2/3rds majority. Thats not government of the people thats pure unadulterated Ideology.
3) The result we waste 30 weeks on the budget bill for this year and enter 2011 budget without a budget and stalemate on that as well . You may not have shut down government physically but practically Republicans are engineering a situation where nothing gets done because:-
a) We Republicans have to fight for DOMA. Obama is wrong for not making the constitutionally "independent" Justice department defend DOMA because its the law. But its Ok for Republican state governors representatives and Senators to attack " the Law i.e Health care thru courts and everywhere as unconstitutional. Seems the Republican party does not like deciding whether ANY laws it passed are constitutional as per the Constitution via SCOTUS and they must act in the House and Senate, not much in Jobs and the economy or debt here. But again another pure dose of Ideology and nothing else.
4) Add to that we have to repeal or cancel the recover act and Repeal the financial regulation act.
THE MESSAGE IS SIMPLE NEVER MIND RHHE ECONOMY, NEVER MIND JOBS , just make sure nothing Obama legislated after we lost the election in 2008 remains and that everythinh he proposes over the next 2 years is bogged down in side shows so he loses because of budget deficits and Debt. Shall we recall how Boehner and Mc Connell refused to be part of the debt commission.
Ther is no such word as Bi- partisanship regrettably in the Republican vocabulary, or worse still compromise.
Regards,
Hodgson.
Okay Jay, you and your fans need to get the 'grown ups in the room' to tell the 'children' just what they CAN do then! 'Grown-ups' are usually able to lay out an alternate plan of what TO DO, when they say 'NO' to what the 'children' want to do!
Superbly illuminantig data here, thanks!