Health Care Home Run: Obama Address Energizes Nation

Speaking to a joint session of Congress last night, President Obama gave a clear, inspiring and unusually detailed explanation of our nationīs health care crisis and his plan to address it.

The President outlined the two key goals of health care reform: safety and security for those already insured and expansion of coverage for those who are not. He also explained cost savings under the plan and described a series of Medicare reforms and insurance fee structures necessary for fund the plan without any increase in the federal deficit.

President Obama also debunked the many misconceptions and misrepresentations about health care reform, which circulated during the August Congressional recess, in particular he called the claim that health care reform would create panels of bureaucrats who would decide to terminate senior citizens a "lie, pure and simple."

Although the President outlined a series of bi-partisan proposals for accomplishing his goals, and in particular, singled out an idea by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to deal with the problems of insurance companies denying insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions, much of the response in the House Chamber reflected partisan divisions. One representative, Joe Wilson (R-SC), shouted to the president "You lie," a comment for which Wilson later apologized. In that apology, Wilson failed to acknowledge that it was Wilson who was factually inaccurate, not the President.

Polls taken immediately after the speech and this morning indicate the President has shifted the momentum back in favor of strong health care reform – championed by the popular President and Democrats in Congress.