President Obama Pushes Congress to Pass Health Care Reform

March 8, 2010— -- At a campaign-like rally in Pennsylvania today, a combative President Obama criticized insurance companies, pushed members of his own party, and called for the public's support in a final push for health care reform legislation before Congress. The White House has said it hopes to have a health care bill signed into law by March 18, but even with the president's full support, passage of the bill is far from certain.

Before an enthusiastic crowd at Arcadia University outside Philadelphia, Obama called on Democratic lawmakers to pass the legislation and not worry about political consequences in the upcoming mid-term elections.

"My question to them is, 'When's the right time? If not now, when? If not us, who? Is it a year from now or two years from now or five years from now or 10 years from now?' I think it's right now, and that's why you're here today," he said.

The bill's passage depends on a two-step legislative maneuver -- the House must approve the Senate's health care bill, and then both chambers would pass a follow-up bill. The companion bill hasn't been released publicly, but it is intended to satisfy House critics who don't agree with all the provisions of the Senate bill.

Obama has grown increasingly critical of insurance companies in recent days, and today he suggested that insurers do not put consumers first and have little incentive to control costs due to lack of competition.

"They will keep on doing this for as long as they can get away with it. This is no secret," he said. "They're telling their investors this: 'We are in the money. We are going to keep on making big profits even though a lot of folks are going to be put under hardship.'"

To support his case, the president referred to a recent conference call organized by the investment bank Goldman Sachs. During the call, he said, an insurance broker said insurance companies were better off raising rates on existing customers and losing customers than expanding their business with new customers. Insurers argue that ever-higher insurance rates are a product of rising medical costs for things like prescription drugs and hospital procedures.