U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday again pushed for comprehensive health care reform. Obama's comments, which came to an audience of the American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago, served as a reiteration of what has come to seemingly be the president's domestic priority. During his speech, Obama pushed hard for a health care overhaul, saying the system is “a ticking bomb” for the already-embattled U.S. economy. While Obama pushed the issue as an economic one, he also made it a moral crisis. “But alongside these economic arguments, there is another, more powerful one. It is simply this: We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women, and children. We are not a nation that lets hardworking families go without the coverage they deserve; or turns its back on those in need. We are a nation that cares for its citizens. We are a people who look out for one another. That is what makes this the United States of America,” he said. In an effort to persuade doctors, along with the American people of his plan, which is continuously under review by the U.S. Congress, Obama stressed that he is not working to “socialize” medicine. Instead, he said his plan would give Americans the freedom of choice in their health care: if they are happy with their plans, and their doctors, then they can keep them, if not, there is an option to have government-funding care. “So, we need to do a few things to provide affordable health insurance to every single American. The first thing we need to do is protect what's working in our health care system. Let me repeat – if you like your health care, the only thing reform will mean is your health care will cost less. If anyone says otherwise, they are either trying to mislead you or don't have their facts straight,” Obama warned. He also spoke in defense of streamlining the health care system, with regard to medical records going online.
