Thursday, December 24, 2009

Email from President Obama

On Dec 24, 2009, at 11:44:27 AM, President Barack Obama wrote:

Bill & Angie--

Although it's Christmas Eve, I wanted to share some exciting news: The Senate just passed a historic health reform bill.

In all the back and forth, it's easy to lose sight of what this incredible breakthrough really means. But consider this: This Christmas, there are millions of Americans without health insurance who risk losing everything if they get sick.

There are mothers and fathers who wonder how they'll provide for their children because an illness has wiped out their savings. There are small business owners who worry that they'll have to lay off a long-time employee because the cost of insurance is rapidly rising.

If we finish the job, all this can change. We will have beaten back the special interests who have for so long perpetuated the status quo. We will have enacted the most important piece of social policy since the Social Security Act in the 1930s, and the most important health reform since Medicare in the 1960s.

In Decembers to come, millions more will have access to affordable coverage. Parents will have the security and stability of knowing their insurance can't be revoked at a moment's notice. And the skyrocketing costs plaguing our small businesses will be brought under control.

When you make calls, write letters, organize, this is the change you're making -- a better life for your family and for men and women in every state.

There is still more to do before I can sign reform into law -- a last round of negotiations and final votes in the Senate and the House -- and I'm counting on your help every step of the way. But for now, I hope that as you celebrate this holiday season, you remember that the work you are doing is making our union more perfect, one step at a time. For that, I am grateful to you.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

President Barack Obama

P.S. -- Organizing for America supporters are signing a note of appreciation to all the senators who have worked so hard to make this possible. I hope you'll join them:

http://my.barackobama.com/SenateLetter

12 comments:

Angie Villa said...

This came from Obama yesterday:


"The Senate health reform bill will:

Extend coverage to 31 million Americans, the largest expansion of coverage since the creation of Medicare.

Ensure that you can choose your own doctor.

Finally stop insurance companies from denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition.

Make sure you will never be charged exorbitant premiums on the basis of your age, health, or gender.

Guarantee you will never lose your coverage just because you get sick or injured.

Protect you from outrageous out-of-pocket expenditures by establishing lifetime and annual limits.

Allow young people to stay on their parents' coverage until they're 26 years old.

Create health insurance exchanges, or “one-stop shops” for individuals purchasing insurance, where insurance companies are forced to compete for new customers.

Lower premiums for families, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office -- especially for struggling folks who will receive subsidies.

Help small businesses provide health care coverage to their employees with tax credits and by allowing them to purchase coverage through the exchanges.

Improve and strengthen Medicare by eliminating waste and fraud (without cutting basic benefits), beginning to close the Medicare Part D donut hole, and extending the life of the Medicare trust fund.

Create jobs by reining in costs -- fostering competition, reducing waste and inefficiency, and starting to reward doctors and hospitals for quality, not quantity, of care.

Cut the deficit by over $130 billion in the next 10 years."

Bill Villa said...

Congratulations, Mr. President.

Readers, good coverage from real newspapers in New York and Washington ...

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Domain Name > c1data.com
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Anonymous said...

sooo cool that obama emails you (is it b/c lvs is #1 in Pennsylvania?) do you ever get emails from michelle ...

Bill Villa said...

Here's an excellent analysis of the similarities and differences in the House's and Senate's versions of healthcare reform ...

Anon 8:44, no emails from Michelle yet :) although we are apparently on Obama's various "VIP" lists (Media, High Roller Contributors, Best-Looking Liberals, etc.) FYI, our SiteMeter(R) spots an IP address from "Washington DC" on our blog a LOT (a whole lot) and that could be President Obama (or Michelle,) just sayin'.

Anonymous said...

it probably is....

Anonymous said...

Great column, thank you....

Anonymous said...

Interestingly, I received the same message and I am a republican

Bill Villa said...

For now ...

Angie Villa said...

RE:"Interestingly, I received the same message and I am a republican"

Yes, Obama truly cares about bipartisanship and inclusion. Glad to hear that his e-mail reached a lot of people.

Anonymous said...

kudos re: nigerian

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