President Obama committed to health care reform
26 05 09 - 12:31
Obama promises "basic" health care coverage
By J.Taylor Rushing - The Hill
President Obama vowed in an interview Saturday that his health care plan will provide “basic coverage” to all Americans — a linguistically different choice than “universal” care — but reiterated his commitment to the idea of reform.
Speaking to C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully in the White House Library, Obama also said the country can expect a Supreme Court nominee “soon,” that financially struggling states like California will not receive a federal bailout, and that the U.S. auto industry will emerge from its fiscal crisis “leaner, meaner and more competitive.”
Obama said reform is more possible in 2009 than it was under the Clinton administration in 1993 chiefly because businesses and the health industry itself now realize the country cannot afford the current system.
“The fact that we've got hospitals and doctors who also recognize that the system is unsustainable on its current path, fiscal conservatives who recognize that the single biggest component of driving down our deficits and long-term debt is getting control of Medicare and Medicaid costs, and that health care reform is critical to bend the curve,” Obama said. “All those things I think are converged.”
Obama said pushing reform through Congress will still be politically very difficult, but that his commitment to the idea hasn’t changed and that his plan will preserve patient choice of doctors and plans.
The president said his plan will “invest more in prevention and wellness programs,” as well as a move to increase electronic data-keeping.
“Then what we want to do is also to make sure that everybody has basic coverage,” Obama said. “Now, they may not have the gold-plated Cadillac health insurance, but it doesn't make sense in a country as wealthy as ours that if you are working full time, you should be able to afford health care.”
Obama did not describe “basic coverage,” but Republicans and some Democrats in Congress have been publicly doubting the country’s ability to afford universal coverage, which would include approximately 46 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
Regarding his Supreme Count nominee to replace retiring Justice David Souter, Obama said he hopes to have hearings in July and final confirmation before Congress adjourns in August. He noted that previous nominees like John Roberts and Samuel Alito were confirmed within similar time frames.
Obama clarified his controversial comments that he wanted a nominee with “empathy,” pointing to the Lilly Ledbetter pay-equity case on which he said judges issued discriminatory rulings. Ledbetter, an Alabama woman who sued to obtain an equal level of back pay as her male co-workers, became the focal point of a proposed law that the Senate finally passed this winter after past failed attempts.
However, in a bow to Republicans, Obama said he also wanted a nominee who will recognize the impact of regulations on businesses and the tradition of existing law. Republicans have repeatedly said they will insist on a nominee who sticks to fundamental legal principles and does not "legislate from the bench," in their words.
“What I just want to make sure of is that any justices I appoint are people who have not only the academic qualifications or intellectual capacity, but also the heart and the feel for how Americans are struggling in their day-to-day lives,” Obama said. “And also, an appreciation I think for how, even though, we live in new times there are some time tested principles embodied in our constitution that have to be respected.”
Obama parried an attempt by Scully to reveal the likelihood that his nominee would be a woman, saying that First Lady Michelle Obama and other women have simply told him to “choose the person you think is going to be best.”
“I don't feel weighed down by having to choose a Supreme Court Justice based on demographics,” Obama said. “I certainly think that ultimately we want a Supreme Court that is reflective of the incredible variety of the American people.”
Noting that President William Howard Taft became a Supreme Court judge after his presidency, C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully asked Obama if he himself was interested in a seat on the bench. Obama replied with a laugh that he was not sure he could obtain Senate confirmation.
On the auto industry, Obama said he believed General Motors and Chrysler will survive, and defended his efforts to help preserve them. Obama compared the auto companies’ importance to the country’s financial health to that of banks.
“Ultimately, for the country as a whole, had we allowed GM or Chrysler simply to liquidate that would have been a huge anti-stimulus on the economy as a whole, and could have dragged us even deeper into recession or even depression,” he said.
The president ruled out the possibility of any financial bailout for struggling states like California, noting that the state’s voters this week rejected several ballot measures that would have eased its fiscal situation. Obama said he prefers the idea of helping such states work through their debt situations.
“We are talking to state treasurers across the country, including California, to figure out are there some creative ways that we can just help them get through some of these difficult times,” he said.
Obama downplayed the nature of his head-to-head speeches Thursday with former Vice President Dick Cheney, declining Scully’s invitation to call the exchange “historic.” However, he said he understood that some of the Bush administration’s most controversial policies were created in a “fearful” era right after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“There was a period of time right after 9/11, understandably, because people were fearful, where I think we cut too many corners and made some decisions that were contrary to who we are as a people,” Obama said. “There were adjustments that were made even within the Bush administration to try to deal with some of those mistakes. There are still consequences, though, to some of those earlier poor decisions, and I think (the U.S. prison at) Guantanamo (Bay, Cuba) was one of them. And it's a messy situation. It's not easy.”
When asked about his personal schedule, Obama described himself as a “night owl” who typically stays up until midnight working through paperwork. He said he worries particularly about the country’s susceptibility to a cyber attack, describing the country’s data network as “a big critical system that is vital to our economy… vital to our public health infrastructure.”
Scully also asked Obama if he had spoken to President George W. Bush since his inauguration. Obama replied that he had, but would not describe the conversation.
“Although I've only been president four months, I think a general policy of keeping confidence with your predecessors is important,” Obama said.