Obama says health care law already helps millions

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Saturday that millions of Americans already are reaping benefits from the new health care law, including tax breaks for some small businesses and help for families with young adults.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama vigorously defended the new law, which passed Congress with no Republican votes and continues to stir strong emotions nationwide. He acknowledged that many provisions will not take effect for years. But he said others are helping some families now.
Four million small business owners and organizations have been told of a possible health care tax cut this year, Obama said. On June 15, some elderly people with high prescription drug costs will receive $250 to help fill the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare's pharmaceutical benefits.
"Already we are seeing a health care system that holds insurance companies more accountable and gives consumers more control," the president said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100508/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_health_care;_ylt=Ajq1TlNb5FqTGowilnSbvAKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFlbWw2a281BHBvcwM4MgRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3BvbGl0aWNzBHNsawNvYmFtYXNheXNoZWE-

A HUGE test of the effectiveness, politically, of the healthcare bill will be the re-coverage of young adults age 22-26. I thought that 6 mos. after signing was the magic date. This would have been 9/23..AHEAD of the midterm elections. Now I find out that the date will be contingent on the "year according to the insurance companies". Our policy year is the calendar year, so eligibility will not be until Jan 1 2011. And the questions of price are still up in the air.

If they're looking to reap political benefits they'll see to the details.

still I'm disappointed we didn't get a better bill.

enforced. It will serve until they give up and let single payer advance.

ever allow single payer to advance?

... let's just keep going to single-payer national plan. Cut the health insurance industry out. Period. They add no value to the system. Annabanana's signature message says it all.

Dems control the House, Senate, and White House. If they wanted a real bill, they would have rammed it through. Instead, they bent over and let the insurance companies take them in the ass. This was a failure of Democratic politicians to look out for the best interests of their constituents to the benefit of the corporations.

..........until 2014 for the real shit to hit the fan. Obama has been a REAL disappoint so far and at this point what we see (so far) is what we will have until 2012. The mid terms are going to be a disaster exactly because the Dems did not do any real "change". I remember all the talk of a second new deal and Obama being like Lincoln or FDR. It was a huge political handjob.

higher and my premiums have increased. Nothing was done about Big Pharma at all. This wasn't about health care ever. it was about insurance and there hasn't been any restraint in premiums but we will be required to purchase it.

.........ones at Wal Mart or wherever. That's for both myself and my wife, and together we have probably 8 or 9. Buying from Canada or other foreign country can save you a lot especially if you have expensive Rx's.

much less expensive!

.......It is pretty easy, once you do it. My wife and myself get ALL of our expensive Rx's from Canada. In most cases you can get half off and sometimes even more. Most of the Canadian pharmacies want our (US citizens) business and are very helpful on the phone.

:rofl:

The midterms will be a disaster for Dems!

:rofl:

.............I'll say worse than Clinton, and I was not a fan of him. On the second item, yes. I have heard talk from "honest" dems that it's possible they will take control of the House and pick up maybe 5 seats in the Senate all because the Dems sat on their hands and did nothing or worse.

The "liberal" attacks on Democrats strangely mirror those coming from the right. Doing nothing?

1. Prevent the financial system from going into a complete meltdown.
2. Passed a stimulus bill that prevented a far steaper recession, which promoted unprecedented green energy development, and saved the jobs of hundreds of thousands of state and local government workers.
3. Saved the American auto industry, which does not only include the car makers, but the parts manufacturers and dealers that depend on them.
4. Passed health care reform, which will expand coverage to millions and allow small businesses to provide health insurance to workers.
5. Managed to overcome GOP efforts to filibuster financial reform, which also appears to be on track.

Doing nothing? Compared to whom? Also, would you argue that any President or Congress was confronted with a more difficult environment over the pass few decades. Not since Roosevelt has the nation been more tested.

Worse than Clinton? Amazing! Under Bill Clinton real median income grew! That's right median, not average income. If we Democrats are allowing Bill Clinton to be spun as a failure, then this is why we will lose. Because we are buying into the Fox News talking points.

<>

Here is a Media Matters story you should check into:

http://mediamatters.org/research/201001270003

Media ignore Obama's accomplishments to claim he has "little to show for '09"

...............is a fucking joke. Evidently you would not know RW anything if it hit you in the fucking ass. I voted for change, not just a slightly "better than Bush". And yes, Bill Clinton was RW compared even to fucking Nixon. Better read something more than Texas HS textbooks if you want to be taken seriously.

15 months until Medicare, I cannot see how I am benefitting, or how thousands of older workers laid off will benefit.

the company said he could get it from "Obamacare." Of course, there was no increase in salary to make up for the fact that the company was no longer paying the premiums.

I think it was just an excuse to cut come payroll expense and they did it this way to let Obama take the heat.

employers just love it when we're down, don't they? What assholes.

Of course, your friend is the one who suffers and I'm sorry to hear that.

fascist/commie/socialist/etc.

Those teabagger people make me sick; not a brain in the whole damn lot of 'em!

Meanwhile, your friend pays the price for his employers snarkiness.

I swear. I was at a family thing last weekend and I can't count how many times I heard that. My tongue was raw from biting it.

Name the company. It's obviously a very small one, and a vindictive one, so we should have no problem avoiding them. So, prove this isn't an urban legend, name the company.