President Obama Sets the Record Straight Over Healthcare

"They will not be able to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it." - President Obama

President Barack Obama official photo

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - President Barack Obama says that if we want this country to succeed in the 21st century then we're going to have to take the steps necessary to lay a new foundation for economic growth.

"We need to build an economy that works for everybody, and not just some people," Obama said today on Health Insurance Reform in Portsmouth, New Hampshire‏.

Speaking at a high school there, the President took his critics straight on and laid out the plan that he says will be a great benefit for Americans, while removing ridiculous restrictions and mandates that render insurance almost unusable in some cases.

"Now, health insurance reform is one of those pillars that we need to build up that new foundation. I don't have to explain to you that nearly 46 million Americans don't have health insurance coverage today."

The figures border on astounding, according to the President.

"In the wealthiest nation on earth, 46 million of our fellow citizens have no coverage. They are just vulnerable. If something happens, they go bankrupt, or they don't get the care they need."

He says it is just as important that we accomplish health insurance reform for the Americans who do have health insurance

"...because right now we have a health care system that too often works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people. And we've got to change that."

The crowd roared with applause as Obama continued, "Now, let me just start by setting the record straight on a few things I've been hearing out here about reform. Under the reform we're proposing, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan."

"You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don't believe anyone should be in charge of your health insurance decisions but you and your doctor. I don't think government bureaucrats should be meddling, but I also don't think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling. That's the health care system I believe in."

The conversation turned almost sadly humorous when the President illustrated what some Americans actually have to worry about.

Obama said, "One woman testified that an insurance company would not cover her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was five years old. Think about that -- that covers a lot of stuff. They're only going to cover your skin. (Laughter.) Dermatology, that's covered; nothing else."

"Another lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered he had gall stones that he hadn't known about when he applied for insurance. Now, that is wrong, and that will change when we pass health care reform. That is going to be a priority."

The President says that under the reform that is proposed by his Administration, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage because of a person's medical history. Period.

"They will not be able to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it. Your health insurance should be there for you when it counts -- not just when you're paying premiums, but when you actually get sick. And it will be when we pass this plan."

Under the new health insurance reform package, insurance companies will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.

"And we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because no one in America should go broke because they get sick."

Special thanks to MSNBC for this video clip: