Watch Hhs Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Talk President Obama And Health Care

[Applauses and cheers] From 1965 to 1967, my dad Jack Gelagen served in Congress and helped pass landmark laws like the Voting Rights Act. Dad later became another great governor of Ohio. But one of his proudest accomplishments was when, as a congressmen, he helped to draft and pass Medicare. Today dad is 91, and he is a happy beneficiary of that effort to bring quality health care to every senior citizen. And President Obama is building on that legacy, by bringing quality and secure health care to every American. I was governor of Kansas when Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts. [Applause and Cheers] Now many of us watched in amazement envy even as he passed a universal health care law in his state. Well, Republicans may see Romneycare as a Scarlet Letter but for us Democrats Obamacare is a badge of honor. [Applauses and cheers] Because, no matter who you are, what stage of life you're in, this law is a good thing. First, if you have insurance you like you can keep it. Insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover Americans with pre-existing condition. That's what change looks like. More than 5 million seniors have already saved money on their prescription drugs. And almost 33 million have benefited from pre-preventive services. The President has cracked down *** Medicare and Health Care fraud, recovering a record breaking 10.7 billion dollars over the last 3 years protecting our senior citizens. That's what change looks like. This law gives tax credits to 360 small businesses, so they can give their employees health coverage and an array of affordable, private insurance plans to choose from. That's what change looks like. If you're self employed, between jobs or can't get insurance through work, you wil have access to affordable health insurance as good as Congressmnn Paul Ryan's. That's what change looks like. [Applauses and cheers] If you are under 26, you can stay on your parents plan. You can go back to school or get extra training without fear of a health catastrophe bankrupting your entire family. Over 3 million previously uninsured young adults are now on their parents plans. That's what change looks like. Under Obamacare, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against women. Now, before some wouldn't even cover women's most basic health needs like contraception and maternity care, but still charged us up to 50% more than men for a worse plan. They said women who had c-sections or survived breast cancer or even domestic violence, had a pre-existing condition and would deny them coverage. But this president made it illegal to discriminate against women and...[Aplauses] and ended the practice of insurance companies charging women higher premiums than men for the same coverage. The President ensured women's free access to preventive services like breast cancer screenings. So, the good news is being a mother is no longer a liability and being a women is no longer a pre-existing condition. [Applauses and cheers] Now, that's what change looks like. Today, nearly 13 million Americans, including some of you in this hall, are experiencing something remarkable. Instead of sending your checks to your insurance companies, your insurance companies are sending a check to you, Over a billion dollars out this year alone. Because if insurers don't spend at least 50% of your premium dollars on your health care, you get a refund. That's what change looks like. Now, I've spent my career fighting the worse practices of insurance companies. I know how tough it is to stand up to powerful forces that prey on consumers. Governor Romney and Paul Ryan know how tought it is too. That's why they won't do it. They let insurance companies continue to cherry pick who gets coverage and who gets left out, priced out or locked out of the market. President Obama is making sure that everyone, from cancer survivors to children with asthma, get the care they need. What's missing from the Romney-Ryan plan for Medicare is Medicare! [Applauses and cheers] So, instead of the Medicare guarantee, Republicans would give seniors a voucher that limits what's covered, costing seniors as much as 6,400 dollars more a year. President Obama extended the program's life by 8 years while improving seniors benefits and strengthening the Medicare guarantee. The President agrees there should be no vouchers. [Applauses] Romney and Ryan will take away women's basic health services and turn a blind eye to insurance discrimination. President Obama stands up for women, giving us control over our own health care. Romney and Ryan would put insurance companies back in control. Now, Barack Obama was raised by Kansas women. I know Kansas women. They taught him the values of hard work and responsibility and fairness. That's why President Obama believes that, if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve the security of health care. Governor Romney, Congressman Ryan, and their Republican colleagues say it's everyone for themselves and that, fundamentally, is the choice in this election. Between Republicans who will only fight for the favorite few or a President who fights for the middle class. Between a nation whose politics play on the worse of our fears and a nation whose law reflects the best of our values. 47 years ago, my dad proudly watch President Johnson sign Medicare into law. That day President Johnson said: "Few people have the courage to stake reputation, and position, and the effort of a lifetime on such a cause when there are so few that share it." President Obama is one of those people. A leader with uncommon compassion and uncommon courage. He's earned more than our gratitude. He has earned 4 more years! [Applauses and cheers]