In an address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama explains how health insurance reform will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance, coverage for those who don’t, and will lower the cost of health care for families, businesses and the government.

Obama's Healthcare Plan... in 4 minutes.

How has Obama measured up so far? This is the list of what the Obama administration has claimed to achieve to date:

  • The President signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act on February 4, 2009, which provides quality health care to 11 million kids – 4 million who were previously uninsured.
  • The President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act protects health coverage for 7 million Americans who lose their jobs through a 65 percent COBRA subsidy to make coverage affordable.
  • The Recovery Act also invests $19 billion in computerized medical records that will help to reduce costs and improve quality while ensuring patients’ privacy.
  • The Recovery Act also provides:
    • $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health and help to reduce health care costs;
    • $1.1 billion for research to give doctors tools to make the best treatment decisions for their patients by providing objective information on the relative benefits of treatments; and
    • $500 million for health workforce to help train the next generation of doctors and nurses.

This is all well-and-good, but it it enough? I don’t mind telling you that I dont think that it is. I am having a hard time understanding how can their be TRUE reform without a public option?

My two cents: This is too important of an issue to be be waving a white flag so soon. Granted, this is a controversial issue… but that never stopped George W from getting the house and senate in lock-step behind is bird-brained policies. Why are the Dems such limp-wrists? Why cant they do a better job educating MR. and Mrs. Middle-America about health care reform and why its should be important to them? Why are they letting the conservative PR machine grind them up like ground chuck?

Tell me what you think.