By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service
Supporters of President Obama’s health care plan rallied on Capitol Hill Thursday, to press for immediate action on health care reform. Organized by the Health Care for America Now! Coalition (HCAN), the “We Can’t Wait ’09″ rally brought together 10,000 health care activists from across the country to pressure Congress into taking significant action on health reform by the end of the year.

Joining those in attendance were actress Edie Falco, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean.

Said Dean, “The American public deserve the choice of whether to continue with what they have or if they want to try something different.”

Added Senator Schumer, “You being here will make sure that we hold everyone in that building’s [the Capitol’s] feet to the fire,” bringing the enthused crowd to cheers.

Gary Zuckett, Executive Director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, asserted that the issue of health care was literally a matter of life and death for many Americans, calling the current system a “national disgrace.” He added that Republicans need to decide whether to “get out of the way or be run over” by the sheer force of the public’s call for health care reform.

Michael Tanner, senior fellow of the Cato Institute says, “Massachusetts’ biggest mistake was that they made universal coverage the loadstone of their reforms. That the whole idea of whether or not this was to be a successful reform was did they get a piece of paper into everybody’s hands that said they had health insurance. They neglected the all important issue of cost containment.”
Tanner believes the federal government should consider problems like this before reforming the national health care system. (0:54)

 

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Professor of Economics and Public Affairs Dr. Uwe Reinhardt speaks about the possibility of a bipartisan health care plan that would exemplify the best of American values. (0:49)

 

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Sen. John McCain made remarks on health care reform earlier today in Florida, and a news conference was held this afternoon to analyze and critique the plan with participants Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future, Jacob Hacker, author and professor at Yale University, and Karen Ackerman, political director for AFL-CIO.
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Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign held a press conference call to discuss his remarks on health care reform delivered earlier today in Tampa, Florida. Doug Holz-Eakin, senior policy adviser, and Carly Fiorina, RNC Victory 2008 chair, described the health care plan and its goals and proposed outcomes.
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