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Its time that the wealthiest country in the world offered healthcare to all its citizens. Its a shame that 62% of Americans file for bankruptcy because of the high cost of healthcare.

Please, folks, beware of the fear-mongers that will lie and say anything to scare you into believing that national healthcare is wrong, etc.

Do your own research. And remember if you have your own healthcare, and are happy with it you can keep it.

As a mother of a child with asthma, we live with the fact that our college educated son, will be denied healthcare because of a preexisting condition that he was unfortunate enough to have been born with.

Single payer Now or never.
I am sick and tired of the discrimination of the insurance companies when it comes to coverage. It's like you don't have insurance.
You sign up for insurance, they want you to wait 6 months before they start to pay.
You go to emmergency and the bill is less than the deductible they don't have anything to do with it but they keep deducting every month of your checking account.
Some of them have not only deductibles but also co payments very high and you wonder what the hell do they even pay.
We need to reform the deaseas care system we have now.

Mr. President, please read Ed Rollins piece about his daughter's future. Then, invite him to the White House to discuss making your plans for health care, and America's future truely bipartisan.

With Government's stellar record of cost overruns, abuse, lax controls, bureaucratic inertia and layers upon layers of useless and conflicting rules, I am sure they'll do just fine delivering the world's best, most efficient and most cost effective health care. Get out your Form ID10T's everyone.

All Americans deserve and need health care...it's a basic human right!

Just understand,
Cooperatives doesn't mean Insurance company advocate. Because if it does, we're right back where we started. This would mean Insurance companies with free "reign" on higher priced policies, and more expensive perscriptions enforced by lobbyists working for pharmaceutical companies with Insurance company dollars to block a cheaper "open" International market.....pre-existing conditions leaving ill patients with no treatment. If it was up to health Insurance companies; they would choose to be in the business of selling policies, not paying for their benefits....

Nowhere in the Constitution is health care listed as a right. Also, how can we afford this system? Finally, if Canada, the UK and our European allies can't make their systems work as well as our private health insurance system, shouldn't they change their systems to be like ours, not the other way around?

I think a government-run plan should be an option. After all, isn't one of the GOP value's 'healthy competition in the market place?"

Since we're the one's any health insurance legislation will effect, ALL options should be on the table, giving us the ability to choose what health insurance plan benefits us and our families, not for the benefit government, and not for the insurance industry.

I think that a government would run health care plan would be a great idea. It has worked so well for us.

One think i really don't understand, why is health care considered a consumable commodity and treated as a profit making activity by the insurance campanies? Health is not a porfit making commodity, it is one of the basic human rights and birth right of any human being. the whole system is basically wrong. first we have to say there is going to be no profit making activity out of the health system. Insurance or what ever form of sevice should be based on Not for Profit Scheme. Every thing on this Earth does not have to be for Capitalism!

I'm sure that the Republicans started whining and complaining about the presidents speech and its content even before he opened his mouth! They don't like ANYTHING! People are really tired of their constant negativity, and if they don't start moving a little closer to the center in their way of thinking, then they can kiss their party good-bye! I guess nobody has told Eric Cantor that his party is in serious trouble as he confidently spun a tale yesterday about the Republicans taking over control of everything again in 2010! What planet do these morons live on?

If the rest of the country can't get as good a coverage as the folks in Congress, then force the folks in Congress have the same coverage as we do.

Insurance companies have the biggest buildings in any town or city. They also run more ads on TV than any other company.

How do they pay for these things?

PROFITS from our premiums.

Will Rush " Tokyo Rose " Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glen Beck give out the address of the venue on their shows? Then have Jon Voight call out for someone to "step up" and go end the reign of the "false prophet"?

i would hope that these congress people would join the plan also. because the plan they are in now is paided for by the gov't. and if your a red state republican you are already got good coverage and always first in line for the best health care, education and everything else. the rest of us don't count. blue collar and lower income plantation workers.

I don't think the so called health care plan would work, it will only add the staggering budget deficit.

Gotta love my President! More than one way to get things accomplished for the common good of ALL Americans, not just the priviledged few. Obama is addressing all aspects of everyday life for the average American: healthcare, the economy, our international standings (such as they are). You can say what you want about him, but pulling weeds at the ranch he is not! And he certainly realizes that there just isn't enough time to finish reading ONE novel, much less 100.

Excellent job, Mr. President. I am so glad that we have a President willing to value the lives of our fellow Americans by trying to ensure that we all have access to healthcare in this country. We're in exciting times, America. Godspeed, Mr. Obama.

How about having a civilian version of Tricare? The quality of care that our service men and women receive is of high quality. Also, Tricare currently reimburses providers at a higher cost than most other insurance companies. If the 46,000,000 uninsured "AMERICANS"(me included) had a civilian equivalent of Tricare, that will drive down premiums dramatically. By comparison, Anthem BCBS reimburses providers for 4 units of physical therapy around $50, whereas Tricare for 4 units reimburses at $80-$90. Big difference.

We certainly do not want the Canadian version of healthcare where it is basically rationed. Our system is fine for those of us that have healthcare through our jobs. But it is unconsionable that the biggest economy and superpower does not have a system of healthcare for all of its citizens. Is government the way to go? Probably not due to the costs to all. However, maybe government needs to issue unfunded mandates to the healthcare providers that everyone at least have a minimal policy. I had cataract surgery last year and the entire thing was estimated at $7000 with my portion to be $1500. After my company provided healthcare got done with the bills, the overall estimate became around $3500 and my out of pocket just $200. Someone without a healthplan would have had to probably pay the whole $7000. That is unfair and that is what needs to be fixed. The question is HOW.

Barry, you've done such a bang up job with bailouts, spending, "stimulus," banks, lending, autos, etc... don't you think you should give healthcare a pass?

Typical liberal solution to anything... if it ain't broke, "fix it" til it is.

Reagan said it best...
Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

WoW, universal healthcare. It's going to happen...I'm so excited! This is one of the reasons I voted for Obama. Wow...can you feel the excitement? I know I can!

I hope Obama succeeds in improving health care.

ready....................set........................lie........................loser

Love it.

The American Medical Association supported Democrats at the tune of 62% during the last election.

Are you getting what you wanted fools?

By the way, have you gotten your stimulus yet?

Will anyone have the stones to ask him what he intends to do about the shortage of primary care physicians? Or about what he intends to do about the shortage of geriatric physicians in the wake of our aging population?

List of things I don't want to see.
1. Their is a wait of 6 months for by pass surgery in canada. I don't want that here.
2. Their is a wait of 6 weeks for KEMO treatment for Cancer in Canada. I don't want that.
The goverment in this bill shouldn't be able to tell me when or where I have to go to the doctor.
MOST OF ALL I DON'T WANT THEM TO TAX HEALTH CARE BENFITS.

When is this man going to start acting as a president instead of running for office? Wake the campaign is over. You won. But not with my vote.

you are a lying scumbag obama. all you know how to do is lie.

Obama you are a joke and a fraud! Who is going to pay for universal healthcare? Its funny how you bring up what you ripped John McCain apart for on the campaign trail you hypocritical moron! Your plan to not tax the middle-class is such a joke! You are a liar at best! Healthcare for 48 million uninsured Americans will cost everyone one including the middle-class you fool and you know it! Taxes will go up for all and you know this! Factor in your Cap and trade BS which again will cost the middle-class! I can't wait for 12'. There is no way you get re-elected with this crap! You are a lying, far left liberal phoney! I can't believe independents, Moderate Dems and Repubs actually bought into your moderate rhetoric on the campaign trail! At least 48 million Americans didn't! You will go down as the worst President in the history of this county! And please, lose the teleprompter you moron! Even George W could speak with out a teleprompter and he was deemed and idiot by your base...what does that make you?

No way! NO NO NO! Stop the madness, stop the progress. This isn't what america is about. We should not be finding solutions when our time can be so much better spent stalling and avoiding work.

As a republican, I strongly object to everything and anything, regardless of merit and/or logic. Regardless of sensibility and/or credibility. I object, and so shouly you, to all things! It's the american way!

Viva La NO to ALL!

I want everything on the table. I want a debate on the government ran plan, plus the cooperatives plan. The only way to get costs down is by challening these insurance companies with better alternatives than what they provide.

I can't beleive the American public thinks this is a good idea. We have the best healthcare system in the world and Obama wants to change it because he thinks poor people don't get appropriate care. Ask anyone in the business, poor people get the same care as everyone else. They take their kids to the ER for anything from a cold to a broken leg and nobody gets turned away because they cannot pay.

Our healthcare system was built on the idea of free enterprise. You think making money from the sick is immoral? What about feeding people? If they don't eat they will die. Let's make sure that no restaurant or grocery store makes a profit.

Read the 6/10 WSJ article about Canada. Appears they want to go back to the American system of healthcare.

Maybe Obama can solve the SS and Medicare budgets by letting people die standing in line for healthcare.

Finalloy we have a president that knows what is going on in the day by day people's life !!! With him in the WH I feel like my government is on top of the average american' s lives !! Kudos to President Obama and God bless America !!!

Private would be better than Government, but easier said than done. Hope they take their time to find a real solution and not just steam roll it through and destroy what we do have. Taxing employer provided health care would be a mistake. Trying to force businesses to provide it to employees would cost jobs. Too bad they don't eliminate the workmans comp insurance a business pays and put that toward health care. After all health care would cover any medical needs, workmans comp is so full of fraud, lawyers and only covers on the job injuries. The amount we pay to workmans comp is more than what we would pay to provide health insurance and we have no claims. That means we cannot afford Health care for our employees.

[Insert nonsensical reference to socialism here]

While coops may be a viable solution, what are they doing about cutting costs? Too many lawyers and middlemen are involved. Between malpractice insurance, health insurance costs, administrative costs and drug costs, we have the most expensive healthcare in the world. To those who say it's the best healthcare in the world, I say REALLY??? Have a nice day!

Government needs to butts out of our health care system or they would really screw it up but good, like they did to Social Security and everything else they metaled in.