What Government Did Today

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama today will announce a new effort to crack down on waste and fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs through the expanded use of payment recapture audits. The initiative is the latest component in President Obama’s commitment to embrace the best ideas – from both parties – in advancing reform

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President Obama Announces New Effort to Crack Down on Waste and Fraud

**As Prepared for Delivery** Please find below excerpts from Secretary Sebelius’s remarks at the AHIP conference, scheduled for 10:30 this morning, as prepared for delivery.

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Excerpts from Secretary Sebelius’s Address to America’s Health Insurance Plans

A PROCLAMATION Every day, American consumers decide how and where to spend their money.

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Presidential Proclamation — National Consumer Protection Week

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post: David K. Mineta, Deputy Director for Demand Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President President Obama also announced his intent to appoint several individuals to serve on the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel. Their bios are below.

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 3/5/10

1:50 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, all of you, for joining us today.  And I want to thank Julie, Barbara, Roland, Stephen, Renee, and Christopher, standing behind me — physicians, physicians assistants, and nurses who understand how important it is for us to make much needed changes in our health care system

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Remarks by the President on Health Care Reform

2:00 P.M.

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Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 3/1/10

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Barack Obama highlighted steps his Administration will take to combat the dropout crisis and invest in strategies to ensure students graduate prepared for college and careers.  President Obama challenged states to identify high schools with graduation rates below 60% and discussed the Administration’s investments  to help them turn those schools around.   The Obama Administration has committed $3.5 billion to fund transformational changes in America’s persistently low-performing schools.  Additionally, the President’s FY 2011 budget includes $900 million to support School Turnaround Grants.  President Obama also emphasized the importance of investing in dropout prevention and recovery strategies to help make learning more engaging and relevant for students, and announced new efforts to invest $100 million in a College Pathways program to promote a college readiness culture in high schools, through programs that allow students to earn a high school diploma and college credit at the same time. “This is a problem we can’t afford to accept or ignore,” President Obama said.  “The stakes are too high – for our children, for our economy, for our country.

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President Obama Announces Steps to Reduce Dropout Rate and Prepare Students for College and Careers

Obama Administration Applauds Governors for Bipartisan Work to Develop Higher Standards in Education WASHINGTON, DC – Today at a meeting with our nation’s governors, President Obama outlined new steps to better prepare America’s children for college and the workplace. The President is calling for a redesigned Elementary and Secondary Education Act that includes a comprehensive, new vision to help states successfully transition to and implement college- and career-ready standards by improving teacher preparation and development, upgrading classroom instruction, and supporting high-quality assessments. “America’s prosperity has always rested on how well we educate our children – but never more so than today,” said President Barack Obama.

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President Obama Calls for New Steps to Prepare America’s Children for Success in College and Careers

Today, the major reforms of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act that I signed into law last spring take effect, marking a significant turning point for American consumers.  For too long, credit card companies have had free rein to employ deceptive, unfair tactics that hit responsible consumers with unreasonable costs.  But today, we are shifting the balance of power back to the consumer and we are holding the credit card companies accountable. The new rules taking effect today mean that credit card companies can no longer retroactively increase rates or increase rates in the first year you open an account, charge misleading late fees or use over-limit fee traps.  They’re now required to send ample notification if they plan to make changes to the terms of your card and they must employ clear, simple standard payment dates and times.  There are new protections for underage consumers, restrictions on double billing and caps on high-fee cards.  The new rules are an unprecedented step in my administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen consumer protections and enact meaningful financial reform

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Statement from the President on Credit Card Bill Implementation

JW Marriott Washington, D.C. 11:09 A.M. EST MRS

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Remarks by The First Lady to the National Governors Association