Jenkins is executive director of the West Virginia Medical Association and had watched Obama give similar remarks to the American Medical Association in June. One difference was during his national address, Obama didn’t touch the issue of medical malpractice reform, a position strongly endorsed by the AMA.

Also, Jenkins was disappointed by remarks suggesting that if patients had a choice between a red pill and a blue pill that did the same thing, they should always get the cheaper option. The WBMA director noted the choice is not always that simple.

“It might work for some, but for those who need the other pill, is the government going to say you need to do that?” he said.

That is only one of many questions surrounding the proposed reforms now being debated in Congress. What lawmakers are proposing is nothing short of a complete overhaul of the nation’s health care system, but just what that means for West Virginia in particular is unclear.

In his nationwide address, Obama outlined his plans for health care reform and attempted to dismiss what he characterized as Republican attempts to derail those efforts to score political points against him.

He painted a picture of an insurance system in which people were not denied coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, could not be dropped by carriers if they got sick, were limited in what they pay out-of-pocket in premiums and could count on carriers to cover preventive care, such as mammograms.

He also outlined his plans for a national insurance exchange in which people could choose between carriers, and for appointing a panel of doctors and other experts to look for ways to reduce Medicaid costs.

“This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they can’t afford to wait any longer for reform,” Obama said. “They’re counting on us to get this done.”

Jenkins noted there are many areas of agreement between his organization and the president. But a major problem for making any predictions about what the reforms will mean for the state is they are currently an ever-changing list of rules, he noted.

On July 28, Senate lawmakers reportedly were close to dropping two major provisions from their version of the bill in a bid to get it passed.

The first was a requirement that large companies provide health insurance to employees. The second was a public insurance option to compete with private insurers.

The House of Representatives’ version still included both provisions. At the same time, neither the House nor Senate versions of the legislation mention medical malpractice reforms, which supporters say are needed to bring down medical costs.

The lack of firm details has not stopped many groups from making predictions about what the legislation will mean for West Virginia. Several politically liberal organizations within the state released figures July 21 claiming the House version of the bill would provide health insurance to 125,000 West Virginians by 2013 if it passed.

“The option of a new public plan is needed for those who have been excluded from, or priced out of, the private insurance market,” Gary Zuckett, executive director of West Virginia Citizen Action, said in a news release.

Conservatives, on the other hand, continue to berate Obama’s proposed reforms as “socialized medicine,” with the West Virginia Conservative Foundation claiming on its Web site that a public option would shift millions of people from their current plans to the public plan, mainly a result of employers dropping private coverage.

The state’s Congressional members are on different sides of the debate. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., was planning to attend a union rally in favor of health care reform on Aug. 2. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., has been relatively silent about his views on the issue.

The state’s lone Republican in Congress, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., largely opposed the proposals being pushed by Democrats. She said reforms could be made through less drastic means, such as by making it easier for small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance, extending dependent coverage until age 25 and making it easier for people to keep their carriers wherever they go.

She also didn’t like the speed in which the reforms were being pushed through Congress. Obama has said he wants lawmakers to have a bill for him to sign by August, although Congressional leaders have since said it won’t happen that fast.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has been out of office due to sickness during most of the debate. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., has been more vocal, calling for the adoption of a public insurance option.