"I am Here Because I'm a Daughter"

"And when all is said and done, part of why I believe so strongly in reforming our health care system is because of the difference it will make for these women who gave us life -- so simple -- these women who raised us, these women who supported us through the years" -- so said the First Lady in explaining why she wanted to speak about how health insurance reform will affect older women in America.  She followed several other women who were willing to share their difficult and even tragic stories dealing with the status quo, and thanked them for speaking out.

The First Lady has spoken before about the many ways in which reform will benefit women in particular.  And as for the impact on all Americans as they become seniors and rely on Medicare, the Vice President gave the scare tactics propagated by defenders of the status quo the contempt they deserve.  The First Lady made sure to cover all of that ground again, but also made the point that older woman have their own specific circumstances:

And I don’t think anyone here will be surprised to learn that a recent study found that one-third of all women have either used up savings, taken on debt, or given up basic necessities just to pay their medical bills.  And as many of you know firsthand, these kinds of problems -- the problems of coverage and cost -- only grow worse when you get older, making quality, affordable coverage harder to come by just -- as we’ve seen today and heard today -- just when you need it the most.

In the individual market, people in their early 60s are more than twice as likely to be denied coverage than people in their late 30s.  Older women are more likely than men to face a chronic illness, but they’re less likely to be able to afford the cost of treating that illness.  And in recent years, studies have shown that women over the age of 65 spend about 17 percent of their income on health care.  And that’s just not right.

Our mothers and grandmothers, they have taken care of us all their lives; they’ve made the sacrifices that it takes to get us where we need to be.  And we have an obligation to make sure that we’re taking care of them.  It’s as simple as that.  America has a responsibility to give all seniors the golden years they deserve and the secure, dignified retirement that they worked so hard to achieve.  (Applause.)

"If You Ask a Kid To Dream, He'll Dream."

(First Lady Michelle Obama congratulates an award recipient during the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities Coming Up Taller event in the State Dining Room of the White House, Nov. 4, 2009. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Yesterday afternoon in the historic State Dining Room, First Lady Michelle Obama, honorary chair of the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities, presented 15 programs from around the world with the Coming Up Taller Award. Given to arts and humanities organizations that reach underserved youth, the award is a reminder of the meaningful role cultural activities play in the lives of our children. This year's recipients include the Shakespeare Remix program in New York, where inner-city teens adapt and perform Shakespearean texts to reflect their own lives, and the Harmony Project in Los Angeles, which provides free music instruction to at-risk children.

Speaking to a crowd of teachers, program workers, and students, the First Lady highlighted the positive impact these programs have in the lives of children around the world:

Because of you, teens in Arizona are publishing their own magazine, and children in central and south Los Angeles are learning to play instruments and performing in orchestras.  Because of the work that you do, students in New York City are mastering Shakespeare.  And in my hometown of Chicago, there are students learning traditional Mexican art forms.  There are young people in Egypt who are learning basket weaving and storytelling, calligraphy and photography. 

And you're not just connecting young people with music, dance, poetry and drama.  But because of your work, you're connecting people, these young people to mentoring, to tutoring, to social services, and college counseling. You don't just show them the power of their imagination, but you show them the power of discipline and hard work and of teamwork, as well. 

And these young people don't just become accomplished singers and painters and authors.  They also become better students, they become better leaders, and they become better citizens, enriching not just themselves but their communities, teaching younger children the skills that they've learned, beautifying neighborhoods with murals and lifting their communities with their performances.

Ultimately, each of your programs is using achievement in the arts as a bridge to achievement in life.  And you see all this every day, each and every one of you working so hard.  You see this in your students as they become more confident and more engaged and more willing to take risks and to take responsibility for their futures.  You see it when their academic performance improves, when you see improving attitudes and higher GPAs.  And you see young people who never saw themselves as college material, you see them getting those acceptance letters and you see them going on to pursue their degrees.  So we all know in this room the power of the arts to change young people's lives.  

Play Ball!

The White Sox may be out of the running, but that didn’t stop First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden from attending Game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.

Donning their custom World Series jackets, the two accompanied baseball great Yogi Berra and retired Army Capt. Tony Odierno onto the field.  Odierno, a West Point graduate and Yankees employee who lost his left arm in Iraq, threw out the first pitch.

Vaccinations for the First Family

We've been asked about whether the President, Mrs. Obama, and Sasha and Malia have received their H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines. All four members of the Obama family have received their seasonal flu vaccine.  Malia and Sasha were both vaccinated for H1N1 last week, after the vaccine became available to Washington, DC schoolchildren.  President and Mrs. Obama have not yet been vaccinated for H1N1, and they will wait until the needs of the priority groups identified by the CDC – including young people under the age of 24, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions – have been met.  The girls' H1N1 vaccine was administered by a White House physician, who applied for and received the vaccine from the DC Department of Health using the same process as every other vaccination site in the District. 

While the initial distribution of vaccine is being administered to priority target groups, there are steps every family can take to help protect against H1N1 and seasonal flu.  Remember to check Flu.gov for the latest on vaccine availability near you, steps you can take to protect your family, and what to do if you or a loved one gets the flu.

Catherine Mccormick-Lelyveld is Press Secretary for the First Lady