Health Care Group Holds Obama To Promises With Ad

The push to pass the Obama agenda has begun, months before the president-elect even takes office.

Health Care for America Now is out with a new advertisement Tuesday morning that makes clear that Obama will be held to the health care reform promises he made while on the campaign trail.

The spot, airing in Washington D.C., uses an October speech by Obama on health care as a way to set the ground rules for his forthcoming administration. The spot, HCAN notes, is also an attempt to influence the political community to help push the president-elect's vision of health care reform once he takes office.

Designed to affect decision makers in the beltway, the ad adds another element to what promises to be one of the more interesting (if not hotly contested) legislative fights. Already, Sen. Max Baucus has proposed a health care reform plan that closely -- though not totally -- aligns with Obama's proposal. Sen. Ted Kennedy also plans to introduce his own bill for universal health care.

Comments

[bubbuh]

This is what comes from living in a culture of half hour sit-coms, hour long crime procedurals and two and a half hour epics, all written to a sixth grade level.

I'm sure HCAN's spot will influence all those politicians who won't ever see it because they are either not in Washington or are too busy working to watch TV.

[iswideopen]

I like Obama's health care plan. The "Universal" one will be too difficult to pass. And people, Obama is human. George W. Bush and Co. got us into this mess and it did not happen overnight. What makes you think Obama can fix it overnight. My goodness, please, give the man a break. He has been thru pure hatred hell. We need to support him now, more than ever.

[MissingAmerica]

I know he can do it. But I wish they'd find a way to include dental in this! Dental care is just as important and can affect health if conditions cannot be treated. I would rather see drug coverage out (since we've seen that we can get them cheaper at Costco and Wal-Mart) and dental coverage in.

[noliberals]

I know in my heart, the Muslim can get it done!

[GoVeg]

I know in my heart, the Buddhist can get it done! lol

[DubiousVoter]

I'm putting my faith in President Barack Obama!

[truelockCA]

Get ready folks.....­there are alot of promises that can't be backed up. Health care being the biggest. Wait till the unions come calling looking for repayments on the campaign "loans":)

Universal health care is a joke...."S­ir you are fat by choice and by poor eating habits making your heart problems not covered & if you win the appeal we can schedule you 6 months after that". To make health care affordable, EVER, would take huge tort reform. And the chances of that ever happening are worse than universal healthcare.

[DubiousVoter]

We already have universal health care. We pay for it through our insurance premiums; no hospital can turn away a patient based on ability to pay -- just a reality check.

I not sure if you are describing our current system or an assumption that universal health care won't be any different than the current system.

Try getting coverage if you have a pre-existing condition of any kind... The best first action would be to reign in the health insurance industry and remove their ability to challenge your doctor or decide the treatment you need is not cost effective.

I trust corporate America far less than government.

[realityczech4u]

Anxious to see the particulars of this bill.
Will it contain a mandatory audit of every "health system" in the country?
Will those found engaged in fraud be prosecuted and incarcerated? (no more inadequate "fines" or out of court "settlements" please)
Ditto for those engaged in price fixing?
Will the outrageous salaries of administrators be investigated and capped at a reasonable level? (health care in this country has it's roots as a largely charitable endeavor. It needs to get back to it's roots. "Incentives" can be placed in the tax code to achieve this)
Will the billions spent by these 'systems' on advertising be ordered redirected to lowering prices?
Will matenity units be ordered reopened? (even though they are not "profitable" enough?

Just a few ideas to toss out there. I see all the attention focused on "how" we are going to pay for it and little to none on "why" we are paying so much, why these 'systems' spend as though they have a blank check because largely they do. The scheme we have all been forced into consists of every working individual and every business paying in tribute to the health care industry in much the same way that a shop owner pays protection to the mob. And for those who don't work or get their tribute paid by an employer, the government picks up the tab for this tribute. It has to stop.

[Antifascist-08]

Excellent post! Tell it like it is. Yes, we need to do all these things and more.

Yes, folks, fixing the health care system will be the hardest thing for America to do- maybe ever. It will also be totally worthwhile.

All nay-sayers: Stop whining and get on the front lines. You have been brainwashed. This is going to be a battle with the "business" of our health. Health should not be a "business.­" If we don't do this now, it only goes from difficult to impossible.

Stop the excuses and get on board.

[luke150]

First priority is getting out of the current economic mess. If we don't get out quickly, there won't be money for anything anyway. Obama will pass the health care and the environment laws, be patient, people.

[mikep]

Can't get out of the economic mess until we have a health care plan. It's a basic piece of the puzzle. People can't spend if all their money's going to health care. Businesses can't operate. I hope Obama understands that.

[Grannysue]

I realize that since Bush has bankrupt our country there isn't going to be enough to do everything, right away, however, green jobs and healthcare besides getting the hell out of Iraq must be priority!

[strifeknot]

O won't back any changes to the health care system that aren't approved by his corporate masters.

[DubiousVoter]

Your mistaking O for B/C... Good try!

[GermanQR]

...$350bn remaining from the Wallstreet bailout

Aetna. Market Cap: $10.9 bn
Cigna: MC $3.45 bn
Kaiser: EV $10 bn
Humana: MC $5 bn
Health Net: $1 bn
Unversal American: $0.5 bn

TOTAL: $32.85 bn

Don't let them tell you "there's no money". Buying all these HMO's would cost roughly as much as three months in Iraq. Once these organizations are merged, they will become the core component of a true National Health System, together with Medicare (with which they should merge).

With a functioning structure in place, changes to the system would be fast and cheap. Don't let them fool you.

From Europe.

[Antifascist-08]

Interesting!!

Thanks for the view from afar. We are a brainwashed lot here in the states.

[jeffp26]

If we cannot provide all of our citizens with quality affordable health care, what kind of county are we?

Just let the government buy out all of the existing health insurers, who keep approximately 30% of the premiums we send them, to pay for their bureaucracies and their egregious bonuses. That savings will pay for care for all.

Then all we have to do is keep the providers from defrauding the government, and by extension, all of us who pay taxes.

[Sylmason]

He doesn't need you idiots to pressure him. And, you can't pressure him anyways. Obama will do absolutely everything in his power to keep his promise to the Anerican people. Haven't you noticed already he's smart, moral, honest and a real patriot.

[eXACTO]

like his promise of change from the clintons and bushes??

[weatherwaxx]

January 20, people. Some of this energy might be well spent keeping an eye on Bush for the next 2 months.

[XME]

Absolutely­...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111703537.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/washington/18abort.html
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/11/bush-administration-has-blm-sell-oil-and-gas-leases-around-dinosaur-national-monument-arches

Just to name a few concerns Bush hopes no one notices!

[vippy]

It is high time for the politicians to be as passionate about a universal healthcare package as they
are for their other pet programs and the wars! Fix the country first before you tackle anything from the outside.

[DWP]

Does Obama pressure? Not from what I have seen. However, I do believe he is sincere about getting health care and will do it as it fits into an overall strategy. Imagine having a strategy!

[DubiousVoter]

Thank you. A voice of reason, finally.

[dnddays]

Universal health care should be one of his top priorities. It's one of the reasons we can't compete with Japan in automobile manufacturing; one of the reasons health care costs are skyrocketing; hospitals are closing their doors; and among the many reasons wages are so low. A big factor in our economic recovery is tied passing universal health care. I hope he sees that.

[Antifascist-08]

Excellent point. Look at the numbers for GM, for example. Half the money they need is to pay for workers health care commitments.

We need to take health care out of the business cost equation.