Great Vision. Now We Need Details.

The President was at his oratorical best during his recent address to Congress. Obama is clearly committed to health reform, even risking his political future on the outcome. He did a good job of explaining his own position while covering a wide range of controversial topics. He courageously challenged Congress to set high aspirations, well beyond partisan politics. This message undoubtedly resonated with most Americans.

That said, the content of his address was long on vision but short on details. Obama dangled tort reform before the Republicans, only to offer "demonstration projects" rather than substantive legislation. His promise of durable insurance coverage is admirable but is unrealistic without government subsidy. Finally, he pledged to preserve Medicare benefits while cutting its costs. That will certainly require changing the Medicare payment system.

Hopefully, both Congress and the administration finally recognize that health reform is a long and difficult journey. Even the president acknowledged that there are many details to be worked out. That comment drew nervous laughter from the members of Congress--and for good reason.

Health care is something that virtually every voter understands and experiences. Americans will not be easily fooled by half-baked ideas. Now is the time for our politicians to agree on principles and work out realistic solutions, which have been woefully absent in the health reform debate.

It has now obvious that no single piece of legislation will deliver all the promises of health reform. Instead, fundamental change will require years of hard work for both the executive and legislative branches of government. In this era of "quick fix" politics, we need leaders with a long-term commitment to health care reform, even at the risk their own political futures.

That may be the most important message from this presidential address.

By Mark Kelley  |  September 10, 2009; 4:36 PM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform , Medicare , Presidential leadership
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