Personal Injury Law

How Did He Do? Uninsured Numbers Out

By Jane Akre

Rep. Wilson Web Site Down

Following the president's address to Congress Wednesday night on health care reform, Vice President, Joe Biden, says a health-care reform bill will be completed before Thanksgiving.

Making the morning talk show rounds, Biden told the 'Today' Show that he was heartened by the Republican response to Rep. Joe Wilson who, for perhaps the first time on a nationally televised presidential address, shouted directly at the president yelling 'You lie!' when the president vowed health-care legislation would not provide coverage to illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

The Institute for Southern Studies finds that the health care industry is a major contributor to Wilson's congressional career.

Even Republicans called it disrespectful, including Sen. John McCain who said it was 'totally disrespectful' on CNN's Larry King, after the speech.

McCain, also on the morning talk shows encouraged the White House to reach out to more Republicans to make health care more bipartisan. He also expressed concern about the expense involved.

Telling the "Today Show," 'We can't lay another trillion dollars of debt on the next generation… It's generational theft.'

Rep. Wilson reportedly called Mr. Obama to apologize.

But there are no apologies necessary for his Democratic opponent in the upcoming 2010 race. Rob Miller, an Iraq War veteran, raised about $100,000 from 3.000 people after the speech.

Uninsured Rise to 43.6 million

Speaking to members of the American Nurses Association Thursday, the president said now is the time to reshape health care. The president cited a new government figure predicting six million Americans will lose their health care coverage.

'It's heartbreaking and it is wrong,'

The Census Bureau's annual report, released Thursday, says the number of Americans without health insurance rose to 46.3 million in 2008, and that does not include number from the first half of 2009. The poverty rate is reported to be at an 11-year high of 13.2 percent, reports AP.

How Did He Do?

A CNN/ Opinion Research Corp. snap poll indicates a shift in the president's favor. After the speech, two-thirds said they supported his proposals, compared to 53 percent in a survey taken days before the address.

The results may be skewed, AP reports, because the participants were reported to be more Democratic than the U.S. population. One in seven said they changed their minds to favor Mr. Obama's proposals.

(Continue- Part 2)

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on September 10, 2009 (boomark / email).