Read more of Oberstar's comments.

<NEWS RELEASE>

Washington  DC  - Eighth District Congressman Jim Oberstar said at the conclusion of  President Barack Obama's address on health care reform to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night that the president's speech was specific and inspiring. 

Read more of Oberstar's comments:

"Tonight,  President Obama made a ringing appeal for reform of our health insurance  sector, inspiring the Democratic base in the House and throughout the  country.  He directly attacked the egregious myths about health reform and  called them what they are – "lies.”
 
"The  President was very specific, as he needed to be: there are no death panels in  this bill, no coverage of illegal immigrants and no funding of abortion.  He  promised to hold insurance company bureaucrats accountable for corporate  abuses such as denying policy holders coverage in order to improve corporate  profits.  He was also very specific about protections in the bill, if you  move, change your job, lose your job, or even start you own small business,  you should not lose your health insurance.  Those are protections in this bill.
 
"There  will be no denial for preexisting conditions, no dropped coverage, no  arbitrary corporate cap on your coverage, but there will be a limit on your  out of pocket costs.  He was very clear about building on what works and  fixing what doesn't and he clearly placed the public option as coverage  of last resort for those who have no other means of obtaining health  insurance.  The public option will be a fiscally responsible plan, living on  its own premiums but without the egregious and excessive profits of corporate executives.
 
"President  Obama was blunt with opponents for their campaign of demagogy and distortion,  calling it like it is and looking directly at those who persist in spreading  falsehoods.  But his best moment was his closing appeal to our larger  spirits, our common ideals and compassion for one another.
 
"This  speech will energize the House and the Senate to move health insurance reform  through to completion in this session of Congress, as we must."