Obama pitches health care in N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Senators reported progress on legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care Wednesday as President Obama introduced a retooled message asserting his plan would protect Americans and limit insurers’ power.

“We have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn’t always work well for you,” Obama told more than 2,000 people in a North Carolina high school gymnasium. “What we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable.”

Back in Washington, D.C., senators trying to reach a bipartisan compromise indicated progress paring the costs of the plan as they push for a deal this week on legislation that they hope will appeal to the political middle.

Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the Democrat leading the negotiations among three Democrats and three Republicans, said new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office show the plan that’s taking shape would cover 95 percent of Americans by 2015 and cost about $900 billion over 10 years – under the unofficial $1 trillion target the White House has set.

As Congress continued to haggle over various bills on Capitol Hill, the president flew to North Carolina to emphasize consumer protections that he said would be in any bill he would sign. He was making the same pitch later in Virginia.

Among those protections: Insurers would be required to set annual caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses, would have to fully cover routine tests to help prevent illness and would be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder paid the premium in full. Insurers also would be barred from refusing coverage because of pre-existing conditions, scaling back insurance for people who fall very ill, charging more for services based on gender, and placing limits on coverage. And they wouldn’t be able to deny children family coverage through age 26.

“Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don’t have today – reforms that become more urgent and more urgent with each passing year,” Obama said.

Greeted with cheers, he bounded onto a stage backed by four huge American flags, a scene reminiscent of last year’s presidential campaign. He got hearty applause as he introduced each element in his introductory remarks.

As he has nearly every day for weeks, Obama countered concerns about costs to taxpayers and the scope of government in any overhaul, saying, “No one is talking about some government takeover of health care. ... These folks need to stop scaring everybody.”

He cast the debate as a choice between doing something to bring down rising costs, provide better insurance and control exploding deficits – and doing nothing, which he said would have disastrous consequences by doubling health costs over the next decade, making millions more Americans uninsured and bankrupting federal and state governments.

Obama dismissed critics’ claims that he was playing politics with health care, telling the crowd, “You know this isn’t about politics. This is about people’s lives. This is about people’s businesses. This is about our future.”