President Obama’s Health Care Reform gains attention, once again, as the President puts back the spotlight on the bill. With a highlight on senior citizens, the President Obama aims to propose the bill at a Wheaton senior’s centre today. The Associated Press informed on MSN.com that the President’s speech will be broadcast live, and that “seniors will be able to listen by phone and ask questions at dozens of gatherings around the country.”
The article went on to state that the timing of the event falls perfectly to correspond with another release later this week. The release that the article is referring to is the first consignment of the $250 cheques. The AP goes on to clarify that this first batch of $250 cheques will be dispatched to “seniors who fall into Medicare’s prescription drug coverage gap, known as the ‘doughnut hole. The cheques will be the first tangible benefits most of them will be seeing from the law President Obama signed in March.” Apparently, approximately four million people who fall under the senior and disabled category will receive cheques this year; with the first set of 80,000 scheduled to be sent out this Thursday.
According to the Washington Post, President Obama is attempting to cut spending. The Washington Post went on to enlighten in their release that “the White House is directing agencies to develop plans for trimming at least 5 percent from their budgets by identifying programs that do little to advance their missions or President Obama's agenda.”
An article by the New York Daily News also hit on the same subject where it informs us that Organizing for America (OFA) is launching a campaign in an endeavour to bring back the zeal and enthusiasm of Obama’s presidential campaign back in 2008. Jennifer Bendery of Roll Call went on to mention that “even the OFA’s plan to pour $50 million into the effort may not be enough to convince House Members that OFA is an effective ally, since some feel that it failed to deliver help during the contentious health care debate when they needed it the most.” The editorial cited that OFA initiated the Vote 2010 campaign on Saturday, when they set up 16,000 volunteers to take part in 1,300 canvasses and phone banks throughout the nation.
The comments about the reform are mixed, with one comment declaring “President Obama is wasting his time right now pushing for health care reform to seniors. He should wait until after the seniors get their $250 check, telling them the check is in the mail doesn't cut it. Good to see Barack get government spending cut down by pushing the government agencies to come up with cuts.”
Another reader comments that “The President expended an enormous amount of political capital passing an unpopular health care reform bill. Poll after poll shows that the public remains largely opposed to Obamacare. He needs to move on...all he's accomplishing in his non-stop efforts to sell his "reform" is to constantly remind folks that he's forced on them legislation that they (correctly) believe will degrade the quality of their present health care while, at the same time, increasing its costs. After having entered office with the highest initial approval ratings among recent Presidents, he no longer has political capital to waste.”
