September 2009 Barack Obama speech to a joint session of Congress facts for kids
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| Date | September 9, 2009 |
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| Time | 8:00 p.m. EST |
| Venue | House Chamber, United States Capitol |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Type | Health care reform |
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In September 2009, Barack Obama, who was the 44th President of the United States, gave an important speech. He spoke to a special meeting of the 111th United States Congress about his plans for health care reform. This means he wanted to change how people in the U.S. get medical care and insurance.
The speech happened on September 9, 2009, at 8:00 PM. It took place in the main room of the United States House of Representatives inside the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Nancy Pelosi, who was the leader of the House, led the meeting. She was joined by Joe Biden, who was the Vice President of the United States at the time.
Contents
President Obama's Speech on Health Care
President Obama's speech was all about making health care better and more affordable for everyone. He talked about several key ideas. These included creating a public health insurance option, which would be a government-run insurance plan. He also discussed making rules for private insurance companies to protect people.
Obama explained how much these changes might cost and how the government would pay for them. He also talked about making sure everyone could get basic health coverage, even if they couldn't afford it. The President's speech lasted for 47 minutes. During the speech, a representative named Joe Wilson briefly shouted "You lie!" This happened when Obama said his plan would not cover people who were in the country illegally.
Obama also shared a letter from Ted Kennedy, a well-known politician who had recently passed away. Kennedy had written the letter after he became very sick. In the letter, Kennedy said that health care was a "moral issue." He believed it was about fairness and what kind of country the U.S. wanted to be. Kennedy also asked what would happen if someone knew there was a treatment for their illness but couldn't pay for it.
President Obama connected his health care plan to big moments in American history. He compared it to when the country created Social Security and Medicare. These programs also helped people get support and medical care. He ended his speech by talking about the "character of our country." He said that even though the health care debate was hard, Americans could work together to make great things happen.
What Happened After the Speech
The "You Lie!" Outburst
During the speech, President Obama said that his health care plan would not cover people who were in the U.S. illegally. He stated, "The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." At this moment, Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina shouted "You lie!" This briefly stopped the President's speech.
Later, Joe Wilson said he was sorry for shouting. A few days later, the House of Representatives voted to formally disapprove of Wilson's actions. This was like a public scolding for his outburst. Many news outlets talked about the incident. They also looked into the health care bill to see if it would cover illegal immigrants. The bill clearly stated that federal money would not be used for health care credits for people not legally in the U.S.
How Financial Markets Reacted
After President Obama's speech, the shares of health insurance companies actually went up. Experts thought that the plan Obama described would be good news for companies in the health care business. One analyst, Charles Boorady, said he expected the shares to keep rising. He believed that if health care reform passed, more people would sign up for insurance plans.
