President Focuses On The Economy While Republicans Look To Health Care[SIZE=-1]President Obama again used his weekly address to discuss his Administration's response to the economic crisis, while Republicans turned their attention to the coming debate over health care.
Acknowledging that the unemployment rate, now at over 8%, was "the highest rate in a quarter century," the President pointed to his plans to lower mortgage rates, increase student aid, and create 3.5 million jobs as evidence that "we will get through this."
Obama also looked to the coming debate over health care reform. On Thursday the President held a health care summit to discuss potential solutions. "Our ideas and opinions about how to achieve this reform will vary," he said, "but our goal must be the same: quality, affordable health care for every American that no longer overwhelms the budgets of families, businesses, and our government."
Delivering the Republican response, Congressman Roy Blunt tried to establish the boundaries of the health care debate.
"I agree with President Obama that if you like your current health insurance plan, you should be allowed to keep it. But that's not what is currently being discussed in Washington. Some people are spending a lot of time talking about how to spend more of your money on bigger government run programs. I'm concerned that if the government steps in it will eventually push out the private health care plans that millions of Americans enjoy today. This could cause your employer to simply stop offering coverage, hoping the government will pick up the slack."
Saying "competition is the key," Blunt invoked the DMV and IRS to defend a health care system controlled largely by the private sector.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Subscribe now![/SIZE]Subscribe to [SIZE=-1]ConsumerReports.org[/SIZE] for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. [SIZE=-1]Update your feed preferences[/SIZE]