Current Events Public Policy

State of the Union 2016: A Health Care Review

As I have done every year, below are excerpts from the State of the Union address that focus on health care (full transcript here). President Obama did not offer any specific policies except potentially additional funding for cancer research. The President did mention the success of the ACA in maintaining insurance for people transitioning to jobs and how international collaboration help end the spread of Ebola. Unlike in recent years, health care issues took a back seat in this year’s State of the Union address.
Support for the ACA…

And for American short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That, by the way, is what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It’s about filling the gaps in employer based care so that when you lose a job, or you go back to school, or you strike out and launch that new business you’ll still have coverage. Nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far, and in the process…

(APPLAUSE)

In the process health care inflation has slowed, our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law.

On a new ‘War on Cancer’…

You know, last year, Vice President Biden said that, with a new moon-shot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they’ve had in over a decade.

(APPLAUSE)

Well, so — so tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years, I’m putting Joe in charge of mission control.

(APPLAUSE)

For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the families that we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all. What do you think? Let’s make it happen.

On global partnership leading to an end to the spread of Ebola…

That’s why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. And as we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war.

(APPLAUSE)

That’s how — that’s how we stopped the spread of Ebola in West Africa.

(APPLAUSE)

Our military, our doctors, our development workers — they were heroic. They set up the platform that then allowed other countries to join in behind us and stamp out that epidemic. Hundreds of thousands — maybe a couple million lives were saved.

2 Comments

  1. “War on Cancer”

    Ugh, give me a break, Obama. I know you think you’re the second coming, but you’re not going to cure cancer.

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