Tonight, in the words of Politico, President Obama outlined an agenda to grow the American economy and called on Americans to heed the message from the shootings in Tucson that we need to work together.

The president also vowed to veto all bills containing earmarks — specific projects funded at the request of individual lawmakers — and proposed a freeze in discretionary government spending for 5 years, with an eye toward reducing the massive federal deficit.

Later in his speech, the President referenced the health care reform law when he said, “Anything can be improved.” He suggested changes in one provision that would impose a huge reporting burden on small businesses by requiring the reporting of any purchase over $600. “We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses,” he said. That’s good news — and something we at APhA have lobbied for.

Obama spoke out against repeal of the Affordable Care Act, while opening the door to good ideas. He wants to protect exclusions due to pre-existing conditions and protect small businesses from “paying $5,000 more to cover employees.” He applauded the decreased cost of prescription drugs for seniors and the continuation of coverage for young persons on their parents’ insurance. He added, “Let’s fix what needs fixing and move forward.”

At APhA, we are making sure the good ideas in the Affordable Care Act are protected as well-intentioned leaders from both parties engage in a re-analysis of that law. Based on the White House perspective provided tonight by the President, the door is open for us to advocate for retention of important common-sense provisions — ones that provide more Americans with the pharmacists’ services they need so much.