Obama Highlights Health Care Bill's Immediate Benefits

Barack Obama stepped back into the health care debate in today's weekly radio address, pushing for the bill's final passage and promising that the benefits of reform would be immediately felt. "What every American should know is that once I sign health insurance reform into law, there are dozens of protections and benefits that will take effect this year"—among them, allowing those with pre-existing conditions to purchase affordable coverage and giving small-business owners who can't afford to cover their employees tax credits to help them do so.

"Here’s what else will happen within the first year. Insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to their customers—so that we can start catching preventable illnesses and diseases on the front end. They’ll no longer be allowed to impose restrictive annual limits on the amount of coverage you receive. They’ll be prohibited from dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. And there will be a new, independent appeals process for anyone who feels they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company." (More health care reform stories.)