Tagged with health insurance reform

Statement from Vice President Biden on the Pennsylvania Primary

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 10:18 pm | Phyllis Meehan | Leave a Comment

“Arlen Specter is one of my closest friends. He has served Pennsylvania with determination, wisdom, and skill for many years. I was proud to play a role in his return to the Democratic Party; his votes to pass the Recovery Act and health insurance reform were courageous and critical to our success. I look forward [...]

U.S. Citizens Association files lawsuit seeking overturn of Health Care Law

Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 5:29 pm | Javier Mines | 2 Comments

AKRON, OHIO (BNO NEWS) – The U.S. Citizens Association announced Thursday that they have filed a lawsuit in federal court to repeal the Health Care Bill signed into law in March.

The association is an Ohio-based conservative organization with over 23,000 members, and they have assembled a team of Constitutional litigators to launch a lawsuit against the Obama administration’s health insurance reform legislation, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The U.S. Citizens Association has brought the case to Federal District Court in Akron, Ohio, claiming that the Health Care Bill violates protections afforded by the Bill of Rights to Americans.

The association believes that the First Amendment guarantees their members the right to “not associate” with anybody they choose not to, including health insurers and their agents, and that under several amendments of the Constitution their members have a right to privacy that will be lost when they are forced to divulge confidential medical information, possibly including data derived from blood, urine and DNA samples, physical examinations, listing past or current illnesses, diseases and daily medications as applicants for mandated health insurance coverage.

In addition, the new bill will be funding health insurance through tax dollars, but members of the association believe that this violates their personal liberty right to choose to buy or not buy a product, which in this case is health insurance. Furthermore, they consider that the new law provides for a tax penalty not authorized by the Constitution, which is an illegal direct excise tax on a non-activity. It is not, they claim, a tax on property or income and as an excise tax it was not apportioned according to the Constitution.

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President Obama speaks with Saudi Arabia King by phone

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 2:38 am | Joe Brooks | 4 Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — President Obama spoke with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia by telephone on Monday, the White House said.

National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said Abdullah offered his congratulations to the United Stations on the passage of the health insurance reform bill by the U.S. House of Representatives. The two leaders also discussed issues ‘of mutual concern’ and reaffirmed the strong relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

President Obama postpones trip to Asia as final health care vote looms

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 7:50 pm | Joe Brooks | 1 Comment

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – U.S. President Barack Obama have informed Indonesia and Australia leaders that he will postpone his visit to these nations until June as health care final vote is coming, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced on Thursday.

President Obama decided to stay in the United States as this week is crucial for the health care reform as final voting is expected to take place in the coming days. The House has already posted the health care legislation on the Internet and the 72-hour public review period has started, so the final vote cannot take place before Sunday.

“The President greatly regrets the delay. Our international alliances are critical to America’s security and economic progress. But passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance, and the President is determined to see this battle through,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Earlier this year the White House announced the first official visit to Indonesia, Australia and Guam of President Obama and was scheduled to travel on March 21.

In Indonesia, President Obama will formally launch a comprehensive partnership that will cover a wide range of issues that are of importance to both nations from educational and social issues to political and military cooperation.

BNO-AS-US-INT-BULLETIN

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 7:31 pm | Joe Brooks | Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — President Obama delays his trip to Indonesia and Australia until June due to health insurance reform vote.

President Obama postpones trip to Asia as health care vote looms

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 5:34 pm | Joe Brooks | 4 Comments

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – U.S. President Barack Obama have informed Indonesia and Australia leaders that he will postpone his visit to these nations until June as health care vote looms, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced on Thursday.

President Obama decided to stay in the United States as this week is crucial for the health care reform as voting is expected to take place in the coming days.

“Passage of the health insurance reform is of paramount importance, and the president is determined to see this battle through,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Earlier this year the White House announced the first official visit to Indonesia, Australia and Guam for President Obama and was scheduled to leave on March 21.

President Barack Obama announces new effort to crack down on waste and fraud

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 5:35 pm | Joe Brooks | Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced a new effort to crack down on waste and fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs through the expanded use of payment recapture audits, the White House informed.

President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum that directs all federal departments and agencies to expand and intensify their use of payment recapture audits under their current authority. Such audits will offer specialized private auditors financial incentives to root out improper payments which have been demonstrated through pilot programs to be highly effective.

“The fact is, Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money, bartered and traded, divvied up among lobbyists and special interests. And it has been a place where waste – even billions of dollars in waste – is accepted as the price of doing business,” said President Obama.

The President’s health insurance reform proposal builds on an unprecedented array of aggressive new authorities to fight waste, fraud and abuse in the House and Senate bills with a number of additional proposals proposed by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Excerpts from President Obama’s remarks on health insurance reform

Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 3:04 pm | Joe Brooks | Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The White House on Monday released the following excerpts from President Barack Obama’s remarks on health insurance reform today at Arcadia University.

“Every year, insurance companies deny more people coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. Every year, they drop more people’s coverage when they’re sick and need it most. Every year, they raise premiums higher and higher. Just last month, Anthem Blue Cross in California tried to jack up rates by nearly 40%. In my home state of Illinois rates are going up by as much as 60%. And you just heard from Leslie, who was hit with a 100% rate increase. 100%. One letter from her insurance company and her premiums doubled. Just like that.

You see, these insurance companies have made a calculation. The other day, on a conference call organized by Goldman Sachs, an insurance broker told Wall Street investors that insurance companies know they will lose customers if they keep raising premiums. But since there’s so little competition in the insurance industry, they’re ok with people being priced out of health insurance because they’ll still make more by raising premiums on the customers they have. And they will keep doing this for as long as they can get away with it.

So how much higher do premiums have to rise until we do something about it? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance? How many more businesses have to drop coverage? How many more years can the federal budget handle the crushing costs of Medicare and Medicaid? When is the right time for health insurance reform?”

Excerpts from President Obama’s remarks on health insurance reform today

Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 2:58 pm | Joe Brooks | 1 Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The White House on Monday released the following excerpts from President Barack Obama’s remarks on health insurance reform today at Arcadia University.

Remarks of President Obama on Health Insurance Reform

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 8:01 pm | Joe Brooks | Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – President Barack Obama expressed his opinion regarding to the Health Insurance Reform at a press conference in the White House on Wednesday.

President Obama said that following Thursday’s Health Care summit, Democrats and Republicans agreed that the rising cost of health care is a serious problem for Americans but that a government –run health care or to loosen regulations on the insurance industry aren’t realistic or practical solutions.

The U.S. President defended his proposal by stating that it will give American people more control over their health care insurance and in order to achieve this, three things would have to change.

“First, it would end the worst practices of insurance companies. No longer would they be able to deny your coverage because of a pre-existing condition,” President Obama said.

“Second, my proposal would give uninsured individuals and small business owners the same kind of choice of private health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. The reason federal employees get a good deal on health insurance is that we all participate in an insurance marketplace where insurance companies give better rates and coverage because we give them more customers. And my proposal says that if you still can’t afford the insurance in this new marketplace, we will offer you tax credits to do so – tax credits that add up to the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history.”

“Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions – families, businesses, and the federal government.”

President Obama also said that his plan will benefit over 31 million uninsured citizens compared to the 3 million people in the Republican’s proposal. He denied to start over the reform, as asked by the Republicans in the Congress, because it will delay the health care reform for another year. He urged leaders in both of Houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next weeks.

“We can’t just give up because the politics are hard. I know there’s a fascination, bordering on obsession, in the media and in this town about what passing health insurance reform would mean for the next election and the one after that. Well, I’ll leave others to sift through the politics. Because that’s not what this is about. That’s not why we’re here.”