Obama touts health care in New Orleans

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By Jon Ward

NEW ORLEANS | Even in the midst of President Obama's first look since taking office at this beaten down city's rebuilding effort, it was clear Thursday that his thoughts were back in Washington, where he is locked in a fierce legislative battle to overhaul the nation's health care system.

Mr. Obama vowed that a reform bill will pass this year, and indicated a realization of serious challenges ahead on the issue as well as a dogged determination not to back down from a fight.

"Just in case any of you were wondering, I didn't think this was going to be easy," said Mr. Obama at a town hall forum at New Orleans University. "I'm not tired; I'm just getting started."

Mr. Obama visited a charter school in the Lower 9th Ward, and at the town hall he promised that his administration would not ignore the city while the nation grapples with a variety of domestic and international challenges.

"We will not forget about New Orleans," he said.

The city, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, seemed mostly to serve as a backdrop as the president was most animated when talking about health care reform, which is entering a crucial phase as legislators on Capitol Hill try to meld different versions.

"The easiest thing in the world would be to just say, 'OK, well, I don't want any controversy.' ... But that means that the same folks who were struggling before we got elected are going to keep on struggling," he said. "That's not why I applied for the job."

Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who was booed by some in the crowd when introduced by Mr. Obama, said the president sent a strong signal that he was "gearing up for a fight."

But while the president's promises drew cheers, he could not escape some harsh questioning from the crowd. One man asked Mr. Obama why the Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to pay the full amount of $492 million for Charity Hospital, which was damaged by Katrina. FEMA has pegged the damage at only $122 million, and the matter is in arbitration.