Obama Continues Final Health Reform Push With Pennsylvania Rally

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President Barack Obama continued his push for a final resolution of health reform legislation Monday with a rally in Pennsylvania.

Speaking before a largely sympathetic crowd at Arcadia University, outside of Philadelphia, Obama channeled the can do, never quit spirit that he said embodies America to tell his audience why he was continuing to push for reform.

"The price of health care is one of the most punishing costs for families and for businesses and for our government," he said. "It's forcing people to cut back or go without health insurance. It forces small businesses to choose between hiring or health care."

He added, "It's plunging the federal government deeper and deeper and deeper into debt."

Noting that under the current system, insurance companies can "ration" care based on illness and wealth, Obama said the country needs to adopt a system that gives families and businesses more control.

Obama also rejected calls for delay from both sides of the aisle, both from Democrats concerned about losing seats in Congress and from Republicans arguing for more incremental reforms.

"My question to them is: When is the right time? If not now, when? If not us, who," Obama said. "I got all my Republican colleagues out there saying, well, no, no, no, we want to focus on things like cost. You had 10 years. What happened? What were you doing?"

Obama also hammered insurance companies, including Anthem Blue Cross in California, for seeking massive rate increases for individuals not covered by group plans.

"These insurance companies have made a calculation," he said. "Insurance companies know they will lose customers if they keep on raising premiums, but because there's so little competition in the insurance industry, they're okay with people being priced out of the insurance market because, first of all, a lot of folks are going to be stuck, and even if some people drop out, they'll still make more money by raising premiums on customers that they keep."

He added, "They will keep on doing this for as long as they can get away with it. This is no secret. They're telling their investors this."

Obama emphasized that after a year of debate on various proposals in Washington the bill he is putting forward is a middle ground approach between those on the left who would prefer an entirely government-run health care system like Canada and those on the right who argue for decreased regulation as the answer.

"The bottom line is I don't believe we should give government or insurance companies more control over health care in America," he said. "I believe it's time to give you, the American people, more control over your own health insurance."

Although many of the proposals in Obama's plan are set to take effect over the course of several years, Obama emphasized that there would be immediate benefits, with insurance companies being barred within a year of denying coverage for preexisting medical conditions and requiring free coverage of preventative care.

"Starting this year, there will be no more lifetime or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care that you can receive from your insurance companies," he said. "And there will be a new, independent appeals process for anybody who feels they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company. So you'll have recourse if you're being taken advantage of."

He added, "That's the first thing that would change and it would change fast - insurance companies would finally be held accountable to the American people."

Obama also touted the benefits of the insurance exchanges his plan would set up, allowing individuals and small businesses to pool their purchasing power to negotiate for better rates while offering tax credits to help them afford coverage.

"So that's our proposal: insurance reform; making sure that you can have choices in the marketplace for health insurance, and making it affordable for people; and reducing costs," he said. "And it is paid for, and it's a proposal whose time has come."

Obama said Congress now owes the American people a final up or down vote on his proposals.

"It's time to make a decision. The time for talk is over. We need to see where people stand," he said. "And as we come to that final vote, that [Washington] echo chamber is telling members of Congress, wait, think about the politics instead of thinking about doing the right thing."

He added, "So let me remind everybody: Those of us in public office were not sent to Washington to do what's easy. … We were sent there to do what was hard. … At this moment, we are being called upon to fulfill our duty to the citizens of this nation and to future generations."

Although Obama's audience at the college was overwhelmingly sympathetic, his trip was greeted by scores of anti-reform protestors, according to reporters who traveled with the motorcade.

The protestors, who lined the route of the mortorcade and gathered outside the entrance to the college reportedly carried signs saying "No Govt run health care," "No to Socialism, "No Obamacare," "My doctor reports to me not Congress," and similar slogans.

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