Today in the East Room, President Obama moved the health care reform fight forward, calling on the House and Senate to give legislation a quick, straight up-or-down vote. The President pushed hard against insurance companies who have abused working Americans with obscene costs for decades. President Obama asked all Americans to contact their representatives in Congress and ask them to swiftly pass health insurance reform.

During his remarks President Obama said:

Democrats and Republicans agree that this is a serious problem for America. And we agree that if we do nothing - if we throw up our hands and walk away - it is a problem that will only grow worse. More Americans will lose their health insurance. More families will file for bankruptcy. More businesses will be unable to make payroll or hire more workers. More patients will be denied the care they need when they desperately need it. And the rising cost of Medicare and Medicaid will sink our government deeper and deeper into debt. On all of this we agree.

So the question is, what do we do about it?

While covering his solution, which includes increased regulation of insurance, the President struck out hard against their abusive practices:

First, it would end the worst practices of insurance companies. No longer would they be able to deny your coverage because of a pre-existing condition. No longer would they be able to drop your coverage because you got sick. No longer would they be able to force you to pay unlimited amounts of money out of your own pocket. No longer would they be able to arbitrarily raise premiums like Anthem Blue Cross recently tried to do in California. Those practices would end.

Amidst all the Republican lies about "death panels," there is the real issue of insurance companies making life and death decisions for working Americans. The need to get insurance companies out of the path between patients and doctors is clear -- and is a critical piece of President Obama's plan for health insurance reform.

Now is the time to move forward. As SEIU President Andy Stern said today, "It's time for Congress to take that simple up or down vote." We must provide a solution to insurance abuses, we must provide insurance for the tens of millions of uninsured Americans, and we must move past conservative obstruction of reform.

Take action today and call Congress to demand comprehensive health insurance reform: 1-866-311-3405.