Obama urges patience on health reforms

2 Apr 2010, 11:31 am   -   Source: AAP
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Barack Obama has urged Americans not to judge the nearly $1 trillion health care overhaul legislation until the reforms take hold.

Facing a public still wary of his massive health care overhaul, President Barack Obama has urged Americans not to judge the nearly $1 trillion legislation he signed into law last week until the reforms take hold.

During an enthusiastic, campaign-style appearance in Maine's largest city, Obama mocked the pundits and pollsters who say he isn't getting a boost from his yearlong campaign to pass the sweeping reform.

"Every single day since I signed the reform law, there's been another poll or headline that said, 'Nation still divided on health care reform. Polls haven't changed yet.' Well, yes. It just happened last week," Obama said to laughter.

He continued: "Can you imagine if some of these reporters were working on a farm and you planted some seeds, and they came out the next day and they looked and - 'Nothing's happened. There's no crop. We're going to starve. Oh, no! It's a disaster!' It's been a week, folks. So, before we find out if people like health care reform, we should wait to see what happens when we actually put it into place. Just a thought."

The president's overhaul extends health coverage to 32 million people who are uninsured and will shape how almost every American receives and pays for medical treatment. Some aspects of the plan go into effect this year, but the president himself has said it could take four years for the full overhaul to take hold.

During the speech, one in a series of appearances to sell the health reforms, Obama focused on his health plan's short- and long-term impact on small businesses, many of which have suffered during the economic downturn.

After speaking in Maine, Obama made an unscheduled stop in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 32 kilometres outside Boston, to get a briefing on emergency response efforts to the flooding in the state. He then headed to Boston to attend two fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.

His trip comes as much of the northeast is suffering through devastating flooding caused by record-setting rainfall.

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