President Obama speaks Monday on health care reform and women’s achievements

March 3rd, 2010 Please find below excerpts from President Obama’s remarks this afternoon as prepared for delivery: “I don’t believe we should give government bureaucrats or insurance company bureaucrats more control over health care in America.  I believe it’s time to give the American people more control over their own health insurance.  I don’t believe we can afford to leave life-and-death decisions about health care to the discretion of insurance company executives alone.  I believe that doctors and nurses like the ones in this room should be free to decide what’s best for their patients.  The proposal I’ve put forward gives Americans more control over their health care by holding insurance companies more accountable.  It builds on the current system where most Americans get their health insurance from their employer.  If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.  If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.  Because I can tell you that as the father of two young girls, I wouldn’t want any plan that interferes with the relationship between a family and their doctor.” “So this is our proposal.  This is where we’ve ended up.  It’s an approach that has been debated and changed and I believe improved over the last year.  It incorporates the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans – including some of the ideas that Republicans offered during the health care summit, like funding state grants on medical malpractice reform and curbing waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system.  My proposal also gets rid of many of the provisions that had no place in health care reform – provisions that were more about winning individual votes in Congress than improving health care for all Americans.”  “At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem.  The American people want to know if it’s still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future.  They are waiting for us to act.  They are waiting for us to lead.  And as long as I hold this office, I intend to provide that leadership.  I don’t know how this plays politically, but I know it’s right.  And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.”

December 19th, 2009 more images more imagesObama says US 'on the cusp' of health care reformWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he thinks the country is "on the cusp of making health care reform a reality." Obama spoke at the White House on Saturday not long after Senate Democratic leaders secured the support of Nebraska's Ben Nelson to provide the 60th and deciding vote for health care legislation. The president said that "it now appears the American people will have the vote they deserve" on this important issue.

December 19th, 2009 Abortion opponents watching Nelson on health careOMAHA, Neb. — There's a message waiting for Nebraska's Ben Nelson at home: Stick to your opposition to abortion.

December 4th, 2009 more images more imagesObama says health care reform means jobsALLENTOWN, Pa. — He's been spending a lot of time on health care, but President Barack Obama says that doesn't mean he's been neglecting the nation's unemployment troubles.

December 3rd, 2009 Senate roll vote on women's healthThe 61-39 roll call Thursday by which the Senate adopted an amendment to safeguard coverage of mammograms and preventive screening tests for women under a revamped health care system. A "yes" vote is a vote to adopt the amendment.