Dems: Obama Open To Dropping Public Option
Obama is "open to alternatives" to a new government insurance program in order to get legislation overhauling the health-care system to his desk, said Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
Rachel Weiner, The Huffington Post
According to a report in Bloomberg, President Obama is open to compromising on health care reform by eliminating the public option from his plan.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met last night (June 23) at the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democrats and told them Obama is "open to alternatives" to a new government insurance program in order to get legislation overhauling the health-care system to his desk, said Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
"His message was, it's critical that you do this," Conrad said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana said Emanuel urged the senators to seek Republican support and didn't discourage them from pursuing the use of non-profit cooperatives, an idea Conrad has proposed.
Related:
Obama Running Scared, Helen Thomas, Common Dreams
Obama clearly has no stomach for the political battle that any single-payer plan would ignite. So he's endorsed a step that would allow the government to provide health insurance coverage -- not health care -- to eligible people
