Yes We Can

The President's Plan for Health Reform

"It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
It will provide insurance to those who don't. And it will lower the cost of health care
for our families, our businesses, and our government."
- PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

If You Have Health Insurance,

the President's Plan:

Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don't go broke when they get sick.
Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.
Protects Medicare for seniors.
Eliminates the "donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs.

If You Don't Have Insurance,

the President's Plan:

Creates a new insurance marketplace - the Exchange - that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.
Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.
Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.
Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can't find affordable coverage with a real choice.
Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national "high risk" pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.

For All Americans,

the President's Plan:

Won't add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.
Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.
Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.
Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.
Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.
Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

Rudolf --

I have some exciting news to share about the future of this grassroots movement.

I recorded a personal message for you. Please take a minute to watch the video:

http://my.barackobama.com/thefuture

What you built can't stop now. Together with our partners at the Democratic National Committee and its new chairman, Governor Tim Kaine, this movement will continue organizing and bringing new people into the political process.

The challenges facing our country are too great, and our journey to change America is just beginning.

I look forward to working side-by-side with you in the months and years ahead.

Thanks,

Barack

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

Monday morning, an unlikely gathering of health care industry and union leaders emerged from the White House, announcing a historic agreement to lower medical costs and save the average family up to $2,500. This kind of broad coalition would have been unthinkable in the past, when the old politics of division and short-term self interest held sway. But this is a new day.

Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced the three bedrock principles that any comprehensive health care reform must achieve: (1) reduce costs, (2) guarantee choice, and (3) ensure all Americans have quality, affordable health care. And he set a hard goal for getting it done by the end of this year.

For those determined to oppose reform, the President's announcement means lobbyists are already scrambling across D.C. For the rest of us, it means there's no time to lose. As we speak, Congress is negotiating the details for health care reform, so the first step is showing where the American people stand.

Please click below to sign a declaration of support urging Congress to follow President Obama's three core principles for health care reform -- and to enact them before the end of this year:

(The more signatures we have, the more powerful our message will be, so please add your name and then forward this note on to family and friends.)

The health care crisis is not new, but it's getting worse. For decades, real health care reform has been blocked by special interest lobbying and political point-scoring. We simply cannot go any further down this dangerous road of delay and denial. But we don't have to.

Yesterday's agreement marks only the beginning of the broad coalition we need. The most important reason this round of health care reform will be different is you. Last fall millions of regular people came together and did the impossible. Now, we've got to roll up our sleeves, join hands with those new to our movement, and do it again.

Congress is already hammering out the details of the health care package, and it could still go any number of ways. Our representatives need to understand that when the President lays out these three bedrock principles, Americans of every stripe are standing with him. Yesterday's diverse gathering was a powerful start -- and now it's up to us.

It's time to stand up. Please sign the declaration of support today:

http://my.barackobama.com/OrganizingforHealthcare

Reducing costs, guaranteeing choice, and ensuring care for all are ambitious goals, but they are nothing less than what the American people deserve. And passing real health care reform this year is nothing less than what the American people need.

Thank you,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

P.S. -- Here are some excerpts from the President's announcement yesterday that lay out the three principles for health care reform and why we need it this year. Please forward this note to people who want to know where the President stands.

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In the coming weeks and months, Congress will be engaged in the difficult issue of how best to reform health care in America. I'm committed to building a transparent process where all views are welcome. But I'm also committed to ensuring that whatever plan we design upholds three basic principles: First, the rising cost of health care must be brought down; second, Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have, or to choose a new doctor or health care plan if they want it; and third, all Americans must have quality, affordable health care.

These are principles that I expect to see upheld in any comprehensive health care reform bill that's sent to my desk -- I mentioned it to the groups that were here today. It's reform that is an imperative for America's economic future, and reform that is a pillar of the new foundation we seek to build for our economy; reform that we can, must, and will achieve by the end of this year.

Ultimately, the debate about reducing costs -- and the larger debate about health care reform itself -- is not just about numbers; it's not just about forms or systems; it's about our own lives and the lives of our loved ones. And I understand that. As I've mentioned before during the course of the campaign, my mother passed away from ovarian cancer a little over a decade ago. And in the last weeks of her life, when she was coming to grips with her own mortality and showing extraordinary courage just to get through each day, she was spending too much time worrying about whether her health insurance would cover her bills. So I know what it's like to see a loved one who is suffering, but also having to deal with a broken health care system. I know that pain is shared by millions of Americans all across this country.

And that's why I was committed to health care reform as a presidential candidate; that's why health care reform is a key priority to this presidency; that's why I will not rest until the dream of health care reform is finally achieved in the United States of America.

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

Congress is preparing to vote on a final Economic Recovery bill.

President Obama is urging action in Washington because families across the country need help right now.

In the past week, thousands of you came together at house meetings to talk about how the economic crisis is affecting your communities. And thousands more shared your personal stories on our website.

Your voices were heard. Help is on the way.

Take a few minutes and read some of the stories your fellow Americans shared.

These stories are the face of the economic crisis, and they will be the focus of our recovery. Here are a few excerpts from the tens of thousands of stories people like you shared:

"As of a week ago, our family has joined the ranks of the unemployed and thus uninsured. We have two children, a 6 year old and a 10 month old. With my part time jobs and unemployment, we should be able to keep the roof over our heads, at least one car in the driveway and food in our stomachs for a few months. The state of our health insurance is what truly scares us."
Nichole H., Columbus, OH

"I live in a small rural community in central Minnesota and have run my own small business for 32 years here. These last 8 years have been a slow steady decline economically. This has caused me to continually find ways to tighten my budget. Our small towns are really struggling with infrastructure and loss of businesses to attract and hold workers in their communities."
Judy T., Motley, MN

"I am a teacher in Florida where we are 50th in the country in spending per student. I feel this generation of students is being cheated out of a quality education. I'm fortunate that I have a job. But our education system is failing our children. There are so many areas of education that are suffering because of massive budget cuts. The bottom line is: as the United States of America we can do better for our children."
Betty Jo A., Deltona, FL

Read more from Nichole, Judy, Betty Jo, and others who shared their economic crisis stories:

http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Ordinary people are telling the real story of the struggles and pressures families are facing right now. They drive home the importance of this recovery plan and the need to put it into action immediately.

The President's economic recovery plan is an important first step in getting our country back on track. But recovering from this downturn will require the faith, confidence, and hard work of all Americans.

Thank you for staying involved during this critical time for our country,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

On Wednesday night President Obama delivered a passionate address on health reform to Congress and all Americans, then immediately wrote to you to ask for your help in making reform a reality.

Your response was astounding: In less than 48 hours, more than 450,000 of you signed messages urging Congress to pass the President's plan -- and even chipped in more than $1 million to power our campaign for change.

Now, President Obama has recorded a message just for OFA supporters about what comes next. Please watch the video, and, if you haven't already, add your name in support of the President's plan.

http://my.barackobama.com/ReformVideo1

Thanks,

Mitch

Rudolf J. --

In last night's debate, Joe Biden pushed for change and advocated for rebuilding our economy from the bottom up.

Sarah Palin couldn't identify a single way in which she and John McCain would change the disastrous policies of the Bush administration.

Watch this short ad we released today highlighting the stark differences between our campaigns.

(...)

The ad zeroes in on what's wrong with McCain's approach to health care and the economy.

As he wrote in a recent magazine article, John McCain wants to deregulate America's health care industry in the exact same way he helped deregulate the banking industry and Wall Street. This reckless, "Wild West"-style deregulation is precisely what led to the ongoing economic crisis.

And as Sarah Palin confirmed last night, she and John McCain will continue to fight for tax cuts for the wealthy, Big Oil, and giant corporations while ignoring the fact that this trickle-down strategy has utterly failed under George W. Bush.

Please take a minute to forward this email. Make sure your friends see the ad and know the truth about John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Then will you make a donation of $100 to make sure people all over America see this ad before they vote?
(...)

Thanks for everything you're doing,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler)

Dear Rudolf J.,

American families are in desperate need of economic relief.

Barack's plan will cut taxes for 95% of families. John McCain will provide billions in tax breaks for big oil companies and giant corporations with no relief for millions of middle-class Americans.

Barack is calling for three times the tax cuts for middle-class families.

Find out what this means for you and your family -- use our new tax calculator:

With our country facing the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression -- over 760,000 jobs lost this year, unemployment skyrocketing, and retirement losses exceeding $2 trillion -- we need to take immediate steps to recover.

Yesterday, Barack unveiled his Economic Rescue Plan for The Middle Class, including special measures for job creation, a moratorium on foreclosures, and increased tax relief for families.

As president, Barack will provide a new $1,000 tax cut for workers and new tax benefits to help families pay for college, childcare, and save for retirement.

See how these plans would affect you and your family -- and forward this email so others can also calculate their taxes:

http://taxcut.barackobama.com

Thanks,

Obama for America

Barack Obama knows that small businesses are the key to creating jobs and rebuilding our economy from the bottom up.

That's why he put forward a plan to cut or freeze taxes on 99% of small businesses, and provide relief for rapidly rising health care and energy costs. It's why he'll cut taxes on 95% of middle-class families -- because when they do better, you do better.

But John McCain is using lies and attacks to mislead voters about Barack's plans to bring the change we need.

With only 16 days until Election Day, we need supporters like you to make sure that people know the truth.

Use our Letter to the Editor tool to write a letter to your local paper.

We've made it easy. We provide you with a list of local papers, and some important background on the issues to help you get started.

We'll even send the letters to the papers for you.

Eight years of Bush-McCain policies have thrown us into the most profound economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Middle-class families are fighting harder than ever to fulfill the American promise. It's essential that your voice is heard in this election. And it's as simple as telling your own story.

You can spread the word about Barack's message for rebuilding our economy from the bottom up, and remind everyone that this is about change versus four more years of the same.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper today:

http://my.barackobama.com/SBletter

With your help, we can rebuild our economy, and change America for the better.

Thanks,

Small Business for Obama

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

Today, I signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

This is a historic step -- the first of many as we work together to climb out of this crisis -- and I want to thank you for your resolve and your support.

You organized thousands of house meetings. You shared your ideas and personal stories. And you informed your friends and neighbors about the need for immediate action. You continue to be a powerful voice for change throughout the country.

The recovery plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, provide tax cuts for working and middle-class families, and invest in health care and clean energy.

It's a bold plan to address a huge problem, and it will require my vigilance and yours to make sure it's done right.

I've assigned a team of managers to oversee the implementation of the recovery act. We are committed to making sure no dollar is wasted. But accountability begins with you.

That's why my administration has created Recovery.gov, a new website where citizens can track every dollar spent and every job created. We'll invite you and your neighbors to weigh in with comments and questions.

Our progress will also be measured by the tens of thousands of personal stories submitted by people who are struggling to make ends meet. If you haven't already, you can read stories from families all across the country:

http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Your stories are the heart of this recovery plan, and that's what I'll focus on every day as President.

With your continued support, we'll emerge a stronger and more prosperous nation.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)