Facing growing heat over his budget, President Barack Obama took his case to the American people Tuesday night in a televised press conference. Efficient healthcare is inseparable from this budget, he said.
Obama also said the U.S. economy can't grow without driving down the costs of healthcare.
The president defended the need to invest now in healthcare reform, to reap savings and economic recovery in the future. The president's $3.5 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget recommendation, when delivered in February to Congress, was considered somewhat of a shoe-in with the Democrat majority, but now faces increased scrutiny from both parties.
Obama's budget includes $76.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services. He has asked Congress to invest in healthcare IT, expand research on comparative effectiveness, double current cancer research funding and increase the number of healthcare providers in rural areas. He has also requested assistance for the Indian health system and changes to the Medicare Advantage program.
The plan would provide funding to correct the physician Medicare payment system. At Tuesday's press conference, he said changes to make the Medicare program more efficient may not improve the U.S. bottom line for as many as 10 years.
The country will need to be persistent to weather the economic crisis, he said, and many on Capitol Hill expect that from the president as he tries to move his budget through. He questioned why none of his opponents have come forward with a better plan.
"It's going to be an impossible task to balance our budget if we're not taking on healthcare costs and that's why we're taking care of that," he said. A Congressional Budget Office projection of the president's budget, released March 20, said the plan will produce $9.3 trillion worth of red ink from 2010 to 2019.Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and a senior member of the Budget Committee said, "CBO's word is the gospel."
"Congress and the administration need to get the message. The buck stops with the American taxpayer," he said. "People can afford only so much government spending, even for the worthiest-sounding causes. The White House should take a break from the heavy sales job on the budget and explain missing the mark on red ink by $2.3 trillion."
When questioned by reporters on the CBO report figures, Obama said it's difficult to predict an outcome as far away as 10 years because there will be a new budget each year, and adjustments will be made as change progresses.