Obama Seeks to Calm Fears on Health Reform

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Obama Explains Rush for Health Care Overhaul

President Barack Obama explains why he feels there is such a rush to overhaul health care in this country. He made the comments during a nighttime press conference.

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"I realize that with all the charges and criticisms being thrown around in Washington, many Americans may be wondering, 'What's in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?' " he said in setting the theme of his remarks. "Tonight I want to answer those questions."

He promised that virtually every American would benefit from a system that provides "more security and more stability." He pledged insurance market changes that would enable all to obtain coverage, regardless of health status, and suggested that everyone would be guaranteed preventive care, such as checkups and mammograms.

In an interview with The Washington Post's editorial page editor earlier in the day, he also said that meaningful reform must tackle the twin challenges of covering the uninsured and containing skyrocketing medical costs.

"I think that it's important to do both," he said. "I think it's important for us to make sure that 46 million people who don't have health insurance get it. And I think it's important for us to bend the cost curve, separate and apart from coverage issues."

Obama said he is open to a proposal in the House that would increase taxes on couples earning more than $1 million a year, saying "that meets my principles."

As his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill wrestled with intraparty divisions over the legislative details, the president took up the partisan battle with Republicans who have battered the legislation's costs and have suggested that Democrats are attempting to rush its passage.

"I understand how easy it is for this town to become consumed in the game of politics, to turn every issue into a running tally of who's up and who's down," he said.

The battle, he argued, is not about politics, but about the people who write him letters and show up at town hall meetings fretting about their medical care.

"This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer," he said. "They are counting on us to get this done."

From the outset of his presidency, Obama has pressed for quick action on legislation that extends health insurance to the vast majority of Americans, raises the quality of care nationwide and clamps down on cost increases that he has described as "unsustainable." He has demanded votes on the House and Senate floor before the August recess.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed confidence she will have the votes to pass a health bill. But she declined to commit to meeting Obama's timetable as she attempts to tamp down a series of brush fires within her own diverse Democratic caucus.

On the Senate side, progress slowed in the bipartisan talks convened by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) when Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) withdrew from the negotiations. And Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) told the Hill newspaper that the measure would not reach the Senate floor until after Labor Day.