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Obama Calls for Final Vote on Health Care

   VOA News 06 March 2010
   US President Barack Obama delivers the weekly address, 06 Mar 2010

Photo: White House/Chuck Kennedy

   US President Barack Obama delivers the weekly address, 06 Mar 2010

   U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  says it is time for Congress to take a
   final  vote on health-care reform, after months of contentious debate.
   Meanwhile, Republicans continue to fight for a fresh start.
   In  his  weekly  radio  and  Internet address Saturday, Mr. Obama said
   Americans  are suffering from destructive insurance company practices,
   and Congress needs to "act now."
   In   the  Republican  response,  Congressman  Parker  Griffith  argued
   fiercely against passing the reform plan currently under discussion.
   Griffith,  a  former  doctor,  said Congress must vote against what he
   called a "government takeover of health care."
   He  said  the  reform  bill would give the federal government power to
   make  medical  decisions  for individuals, instead of leaving it up to
   them and their doctors.
   Health-care reform has been one of Mr. Obama's top priorities since he
   took office.
   In  his  address  Saturday,  Mr. Obama outlined some of the changes he
   hopes  will  pass  in  the  reform  bill,  such as allowing those with
   pre-existing  conditions to purchase insurance and providing a stipend
   to  senior  citizens  whose drug costs are high but not high enough to
   qualify for government assistance.
   Democrats  suffered  a  major  political defeat earlier this year when
   Massachusetts voters elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate seat held
   for decades by Democrat Edward Kennedy.

   That  election  ended the Democrats' 60-seat super-majority, which had
   allowed  them  to  contain  any  Republican  efforts to delay or block
   legislation.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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