State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016Obama, Barack
General
State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016
Obama, Barack
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
That's what health insurance reform is all about: the peace of mind
that if misfortune strikes, you don't have to lose everything. Already,
because of the Affordable Care Act, more than 3 million Americans under
age 26 have gained coverage under their parent's plan. More than 9
million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or
Medicaid coverage. Nine million.
And here's another number: zero. Because of this law, no American--none,
zero--can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a preexisting
condition like asthma or back pain or cancer. No woman can ever be
charged more just because she's a woman. And we did all this while
adding years to Medicare's finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat,
and lowering prescription costs for millions of seniors.
Now, I do not expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of
this law. [Laughter] But I know that the American people are not
interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific
plans to cut costs, cover more people, increase choice, tell America
what you'd do differently. Let's see if the numbers add up. But let's
not have another 40-something votes to repeal a law that's already
helping millions of Americans like Amanda. The first 40 were plenty.
[Laughter]
We all owe it to the American people to say what we're for, not just
what we're against. And if you want to know the real impact this law is
having, just talk to Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who's here
tonight. Now, Kentucky is not the most liberal part of the country.
That's not where I got my highest vote totals. [Laughter] But he's like
a man possessed when it comes to covering his Commonwealth's families.
They're our neighbors and our friends, he said: "They're people we shop
and go to church with, farmers out on the tractor, grocery clerks.
They're people who go to work every morning praying they don't get sick.
No one deserves to live that way."
Steve's right. That's why tonight I ask every American who knows
someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31.
[Applause] Help them get covered. Moms, get on your kids to sign up.
Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give
her some peace of mind, and plus, she'll appreciate hearing from you.
[Laughter]
After all, that's the spirit that has always moved this Nation forward.
It's the spirit of citizenship, the recognition that through hard work
and responsibility, we can pursue our individual dreams, but still come
together as one American family to make sure the next generation can
pursue its dreams as well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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