It's why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally -- like our automakers -- are at a huge disadvantage. And it's why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it -- about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care.
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There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canada's -- (applause) -- where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everybody. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.
I've said -- I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both these approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch.
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You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.
Transcript is here.
I hope that more than just us Obama fans actually listened to his speech and caught on that he actually cares and is taking everyone's interests to heart. Oh and that he is not a communist czar taking over our country. I hope someone other than me caught that.
ReplyDeleteIm glad to see that he is attempting to push reform despite the immense amount of opposition he has faced. Many on the right have fought to lie and discredit him and his plan, yet he is willing to stand up to them (albeit mildly) and maintain his stance and push for positive health care reform. I only wish that he could pursue reform in more the manner of Ted Kennedy, calling for an overhaul of a corrupt and immoral health care system rather than appeasing the demands of partisan politics. Nevertheless, I applaud Obama for his desire to work on such an important issue.
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