President Obama’s Weekly Address: “Taking the Insurance Companies on Down the Stretch”

Each week President Obama publishes a video on Saturday morning to talk about a certain policy he and his administration have been working on. This week he spoke about the immediacy of health care reform and the insurance companies' and effort to stop its progress.

Mr. Obama prefaced his speech outlining the ultimate goal is to solve, "How to reform health care to provide people with affordable health insurance, coverage for people without insurance, and lower costs for everyone."

Recent progress, Obama cites, is the Senate Finance Committee's initiative approving a health care proposal that has both Democratic and Republican support. "For the first time ever all five committees in congress responsible for health reform have passed a version of this legislation," said Obama.

"As I speak to you today we are closer to reforming the health care system than we have ever been in history." But Mr. Obama warns that, "There are still those who try to kill reform at any cost." In this respect he is referring to private business, "For decades, whenever we have tried to reform health care, the insurance companies have done anything in their considerable power to stop us."

Mr. Obama gives the example of insurance companies 'filling the airwaves with dishonest and deceptive ads,' as well as 'funding studies to mislead the American people."

"Its smoke and mirrors, it's bogus, it's all too familiar," said Mr. Obama.

"Insurance companies are making this last ditch effort to stop reform even as costs continue to rise and our health care dollars continue to be poured into their profits, bonuses, and adminstrative costs that do nothing to make us healthy."

"Last November the American people went to the polls in historic numbers to demand change," said Mr. Obama, "Change in politics that too often pray in the lobbyists and self-interests that have fostered division and sustained the status quo."

He sees health care reform as a challenge to see if 'we' can still do big things in America. It's a challenge to see, "Whether or not we as a nation are capable of tackling our toughest challenges, if we can serve the national interest despite the unrelenting efforts of the special interests."

Obama's final request in his speech was asking Congress to, "Stand up on behalf of the American people who sent us to Washington to do their business."