President Barack Obama outlined his plans for health care reform to Congress and the nation Wednesday night, emphaszing his intention to build on what works and eliminate unecessary costs.
The new plan would make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions, drop customers when they get sick, charge above a certain amount in co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses, and would require coverage for routine check-ups and preemptive care.
‘That’s what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan,’ Obama said. ‘More security and stability.’
In addition, the plan would not include the rumored ‘death panels,’ and would not cover illegal immigrants or abortions. Obama also emphasized that it would not be a complete government take-over of health care, so as not eliminate ‘choice and competition’ among private insurers.
Boston University students said they were skeptical about how Obama’s fancy rhetoric would translate into a feasible plan.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Stephen Decosta said he is for health care reform if the government can find a way to pay for it.
‘Obama was eloquent as usual,’ he said. ‘But he is very idealistic. He didn’t provide us with any numbers.’
CAS sophomore Katie Gohn also said she doubted Obama could truly cover the cost of health care reform without raising any taxes, as he stated in the speech.
‘Cut costs from where?’ she said. ‘Obama has all these unrealistic expectations about what this country can do on its already limited means.’
Other students said they were optimistic about Obama’s plans.
‘I think health care should definitely be available to everyone,’ School of Education sophomore Jenna Tamburello said. ‘I like all the choices he’s giving us.’
Tamburello said she thought Obama’s efforts to reach out to Republicans, especially his mention of Senator John McCain, were a good idea.
College of Communication sophomore Julius Moyo, on the other hand, said Obama was trying too hard to be bi-partisan.
‘I know it’s rough to find a middle ground,’ he said. ‘But I don’t understand how we can be one of the only developed countries that doesn’t consider health care as something that should be accessible to all people.’
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