WASHINGTON, Jun 2, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Healthcare reform isn't a luxury,
and changing the U.S. healthcare system must be done, President Barack Obama
told Democrats Tuesday at the White House.
To meet his test, a healthcare reform bill must do two things: control exploding
healthcare costs and add more people to healthcare rolls, Obama said before
Democrats met on healthcare legislation in Congress.
"If we don't get control over costs, then it is going to be very difficult for
us to expand coverage," Obama said. "These two things have to go hand in hand."
Healthcare reform "is not a luxury" nor something that must be done because of
his campaign pledge, Obama said.
"This is a necessity," he said. "This is something that has to be done. Soaring
health care costs are unsustainable for families, they are unsustainable for
businesses, and they are unsustainable for governments ... at the federal, state
and local levels."
He said projections indicated a fifth of the U.S. economy was projected to be
wrapped up in the healthcare system in 10 years.
Among other things that need to be addressed are creating incentives for
reimbursement, getting doctors to work together more effectively and work on
prevention and wellness programs "so that we're driving down costs across the
board," Obama said.
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