In his weekly address Saturday, President Obama outlined the benefits of health reform that Americans will receive in the first year of such reform. "We're fixing our broken health insurance system that's crushing families, eating away at workers' take-home pay, and nailing small businesses with double-digit premium increases," the President stated.

President Obama went on to say that the U.S. was on the verge of passing health insurance reform that will finally offer Americans "the security of knowing they'll have quality, affordable health care whether they lose their job, change jobs, move, or get sick. The worst practices of the insurance industry will be banned forever. And costs will finally come down for families, businesses, and our government."

He pointed out the reforms will take a few years to be implemented responsibly. However, he added that many reforms will immediately take effect once the health care legislation is signed into law. These reforms include: those uninsured with a pre-existing illness or condition will be able to purchase affordable coverage; children with pre-existing conditions cannot be refused coverage; and young adults can stay on their parents' policy until they're 26 or 27 years old. In addition, small business owners unable to afford coverage for employees will be immediately offered tax credits to purchase coverage; early retirees receiving coverage will have that coverage protected and the premiums will be reduced. The Medicare Part B doughnut hole gap will begin to be closed. Insurers will be required to offer preventative care, be prohibited from imposing restrictive annual or lifetime limits on benefits, and prohibited from dropping coverage when a beneficiary is ill. An independent appeals process for claims denials will be formed.

"In short," the President concluded, "once I sign health insurance reform into law, doctors and patients will have more control over their health care decisions, and insurance company bureaucrats will have less...That's how we'll make 2010 a healthier and more secure year for every American - for those who have health insurance, and those who don't."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also continues to promote the positives of health care reform, first last Friday, when she praised a report from the Center for American Progress which states that health insurance reform will create up to four million jobs over the next decade, about 250,000 to 400,000 per year, than would be created without reform.

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