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In this week's Internet address, President Obama continued to urge people to lean on members of Congress to pass health care reform legislation.
Obama made the argument that the current system of spiraling costs and reduced services can't be maintained and needs an overhaul.
But, unfortunately, in my eyes, Obama also continued to ignore the elephant sitting in the middle of the debate: How will we pay for his plan? ...
It's all well and good to talk about the savings that will be generated by cutting waste and improper payments to insurance companies, as the president does. He estimates that "billions" in revenue from cost cutting will create "big savings over time."
The problem is that other estimates from respectable sources say cuts in current spending alone won't do the trick, that new revenue streams will need to be developed at least for the launch of the reform package.
It will take some bold thinking to produce funds in an economy hurting as badly as ours. Some have advocated an additional tax on junk food -- a major cause of obesity and other health-related problems.
I like that idea. But one thing is clear: Unless the president is able to put out a plan that shows exactly where the funds will come from to pay for his reform package, regular folks won't get too fired up over his health care plan.
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Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of politics for Black Voices. He has been a journalist for 16 years on the national urban/minority affairs beat for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and for AP in Washington. He runs his own public affairs firm, Shepard Strategic Communications.
Comments: (17)
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By: mlg73 on 7/20/2009 1:11PM
Ok-you guys are coming down hard on Obama. Let me ask you this, was there another, truly viable candidate for the office of president? Would you all really want to see Amercia ran by a McCain/Palin administration? I'd hate to see where the economy would be under those two! True, the big question related to funding healthcare reform has not being fully answered. It will more than likely require higher taxes. One solution that was mentioned involved taxing the wealthy. Somebody has to pay for it. Do you guys have any better ideas? Which is better - paying higher taxes for access to healthcare or going with the status quo where millions of Americans can't even afford a basic, potentially life saving, check-up?
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By: Cartha Bonner on 7/20/2009 3:55PM
I am with the President 110%. My common sense lets me know that he can not do everything and everything takes time!! You people act like he has been in office for 4 years already!! Wake up people he still has a long way to go he has only been in office for 6 months. I think if the American people just give him time he will make the changes that will benefit us in the long run. And truthfully speaking he is a very smart man and I think he can get this country moving in the right direction. And by the way I never heard black folks with this much drama when "BUSH" was screwing up the country left and right!! Mr. Bush screwed everything up in 8 years can we at least give President Obama more than 6 months to fix things!!
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By: jay on 7/20/2009 9:38PM
he is responsible becaues the same men who ran GWB run him wake up black american it the same game look at the facts 9/11 the afghanistan,iraq war hurricane katrina then we give trillion of our money to the banks trillion more to what no one know and unemployment is at 25%the real number he is just a puppet for the NWO and on health care there are about 13.5 black americans that add up to about 40million and Abortion killed 25 million black babys and more to come if up to obama and his NWO Masters so we should be at 65million black americans
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By: Bill Watson on 7/20/2009 9:49PM
Current reform proposals that will force individuals and businesses to pay for expensive services are worse than no reforms at all.
Removing businesses requirements for being financially or otherwise involved in any way with health care, and using government’s advantages for lowering costs, is the way to bring rapid “game changing” innovations and reforms to a new public/private system for serving individuals and businesses and saving taxpayers billions.
Private pay private care could be kept by everyone who likes what they have.
Nobody can collect the money to pay for health care as cheaply as the government can through a national sales tax, and nobody can deliver high quality care and medications, free to everyone who asks for them, without requiring insurance, or co pays as cost effectively as the government can through government owned and operated hospitals, serving as the public portion of a public/private reform system, and that system would save hundreds of billions annually from the current $2.5trillion spent last year.
All government mandated programs could be distributed through government hospitals at a fraction of the costs spent now by taxpayers to private systems.
Young, old, rich, poor, and everyone would be assured that they could receive quality health care and medications free at public hospitals and clinics whenever they need it period.
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By: mamie green on 7/22/2009 10:16AM
we all agree on one thing that something has to be done about the economy and health care. As president Obama has said and frequently reminded us is that we inherited this problem we din't create it. Obama is trying to do something, I'm glad he is not just sitting around doing nothin which is what happen in the past eight years. He will definitely get my vote again. Yes he is taking on a lot, and a lot has to be done. Let put our heads together and try to get things done and quit complaing and pointing the finger.
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By: rocloverl on 7/30/2009 1:01PM
Well, let me think about this......Gas prices went through the roof (Oil). Companies raised prices because WE WERE AT WAR and they feared the lost of revenue. Work hours were cut. Work days were shortened. Bills became more difficult to pay and keep up. Next, haviet o Refinance the home to pay the outstanding bills and creditcards (Bank). Loss the job. Can't pay any bills. Get sick and can't afford a doctor. Go to the hospital emergency, get slapped with a $1000 bill and no healthcare given, just a bed and monitoring. No money for food. Got to get Food Stamps. The Dow Jones is in the Toilet and nobody's hiring. Can't get a job. And you blame OBAMA?? This crap is going to take years to fix if ever. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Everyone can't own a business. Everyone has a talent and ability but not everyone can be leaders. People who only complain but have no answers are a problem. are the problem. Those that control the monay and scheme put eveybody in the same boat eventually. The banks giving loans to people who don't qualify. Giving credit to everybody and anybody and those who can't pay from Jump Street are the real culprits. Ah, again, seems to go back to Neil Bush and his cronnies. The family is into Oil and Banking. UUHHMMM!!
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