Today President Obama begins to tackle an issue that will effect nearly every American, as he convenes the White House Forum on Health Reform, where the President and participants will "discuss ideas on how to bring down health care costs and increase coverage."
Obama’s proposal focuses on three components — expanding coverage, improving quality and lowering costs — rather than the single-payer universal coverage many critics of the current system want. The details are to be worked out by Congress.
“On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes — government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules,” said a White House spokesperson. “To that end, the forum will be a critical first step toward finding a middle ground.”
About 120 people — health-care providers, congressional leaders and patients — are expected to attend the summit .
Nearly $800 billion is already set aside for such reform.
And while President Obama is focused on health care reform, he is sending Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, to the Gulf Coast to asses the health of the rebuilding efforts there, more than three years after Hurricane Katrine devastated the region.