In his first address to Congress, President Obama identified health care as an area “that will grow our economy,” while pledging to pursue healthcare reform to “address the crushing cost of health care.”
The president’s address cited numerous statistics illustrating the impact of healthcare costs, identifying escalating costs as “one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas.” He indicated that the budget he plans to submit to Congress later this week includes “a down-payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American,” and that this commitment will be “paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue.”
The president also stated that he will be bringing together businesses, workers, physicians, and healthcare providers next week to begin work on the issue of healthcare reform.
Read the president’s remarks.
