Obama Outlines Health Care Proposal - Includes Public Option

Obama outlines health care plan for all

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jun 3, 7:56 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama, providing the first real details on how he wants to reshape the nation's health care system, urged Congress on Wednesday toward a sweeping overhaul that would allow Americans to buy into a government insurance plan.

In a letter to two senators leading the health care debate, Obama also moved toward accepting a requirement for every American to buy health insurance, as long as the plan provides a "hardship waiver" to exempt poor people from having to pay.

Obama opposed such an individual mandate during his campaign, but Congress increasingly is moving to embrace the idea.

Obama set out the goals in a letter to Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairmen of the two committees writing health care bills. It followed a meeting he held Tuesday with members of their committees, and amounted to a road map to keep Congress aligned with his goals.

"The plans you are discussing embody my core belief that Americans should have better choices for health insurance, building on the principle that if they like the coverage they have now, they can keep it, while seeing their costs lowered as our reforms take hold," Obama wrote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_overhaul

exemption from paying also means exemption from being covered. In other words it isn't mandatory for you to buy it - which leaves one of the two primary uncovered blocks of people (the second being those of whatever means who live with chronic illnesses) still without access to adequate affordable health care.

Or right on the verge of homelessness to get this "hardship waiver".

Wait for the details, this bill is going to be manna from heaven for the insurance companies.

This is the kind of change I've been believing in all along.

"I can envision a day when you will have to show proof of insurance at the job interview." -Hilary Clinton

It's time to start putting these criminals on trial.

And yes, I mean Congress. :grr:

And they are the only ones who count.

We can't even get known torturers put on trial, you think any of these people will be tried?