Obama Aides Aim to Simplify and Scale Back Health Bills (Obama still backing public option)

[Frank Booth]

Source: NYTimes

President Obama plans to address a joint session of Congress next week in an effort to rally support for health care legislation as White House officials look for ways to simplify and scale back the major Democratic bills, lower the cost and drop contentious but nonessential elements.

Administration officials said Wednesday that Mr. Obama would be more specific than he has been to date about what he wants included in the plan. Doing so amounts to an acknowledgment that the president’s prior tactic of laying out broad principles and leaving Congress to fill in the details was no longer working and that Mr. Obama needed to become more personally involved in shaping the outcome.

But the officials said Mr. Obama was unlikely to unveil a detailed legislative plan of his own. And they insisted that Mr. Obama had not given up on the provision that has attracted the most fire from the right, a proposal for a government-run competitor to private insurers, although many Democrats say the proposal may eventually be jettisoned.

----

For now, White House officials said, Mr. Obama remains committed to the goal of insuring all Americans and still prefers to foster competition for insurance companies by creating a new government insurance program, or public option.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/health/policy/03care....

---

The "for now" part is worrisome, but this article provides yet more proof that Politico is a rag that shouldn't be taken seriously.

[yourout]

1. here......Medicare 4 all.

Now isnt that simplifyed.

[tomm2thumbs]

16. that's simple enough for me

[xchrom]

2. invite the democratic leadership to the white house

and theaten to make scrambled eggs.

and if you don't hear what you want from the leadership -- EVEN IF it's someone like pelosi -- lower the promary bomb.

it's time -- past time to play very very tough.

and if you want to simplify -- may i suggest -- medicare for all?

[byebyegop]

3. 2 Simple messages, "healthcare not disease care". "healthcare not wealthcare". n/t

[DJ13]

4. "For now"

For now I think this guy should become the new mascot of our party to symbolize the ruthless principles of our leaders...........

[HDPaulG]

6. But Mr. Limpet ...

Survived...

Like the photo and reference btw

[THale2]

11. LOL

Although I cant stand Bush and the Republican party...at least they made sure that his convictions and principles defined his preseidency...Although I don't agree with it you must respect it...unlike our Gomer Pyle Dem's.

[MarjorieG]

5. Who are the 'many' anonymous Democrats predicting P.O. will be jettisoned.

Hope the county hosital ida survives and emphasis on primary care over unaffordable specialties.

[No Elephants]

21. When Obama says he will not sign a bill without a strong public option, let me know.

[Betty]

7. Americans deserve the same access to health care that Congress has

he should start by saying that. And then he should say that if congress won't make that happen, they should do the right thing and forfeit their health plan, and fend for themselves like the rest of us do.

[Veilex]

8. Haven't read the newest changes....

But if they want my support and they plan on having any kind of mandate / requirement in the bill to force involvement of the American people, it better be single payer... otherwise its just a bailout for insurance industry... and they've had enough of those.

The insurance industry has been fat and happy... its past time for them to go on a major diet.

[laughingliberal]

13. All bills voted out of committee thus far have a mandate

They all also, so far, have a public option. But removing the public option and leaving the mandate will, as you said, result in a huge giveaway to the insurance industry.

[No Elephants]

19. A bail out for a wildly profitable sector that needs no bailing out whatever.

[Alcibiades]

9. Where is all the political capital we gained

by not investigating torture, impeaching Bush, etc.? If the Congress doesn't want to pass a public option, then it's time to have Holder thoroughly investigate the Bush administration: if we are not going to get anything done, let's enforce the rule of law.

[tooeyeten]

10. what a weak statement

talk about lack of commitment.

[lovepg]

12. I plan on voting for democrats again next election.. FOR NOW!!!...nt

[defendandprotect]

14. Obama should be backing MEDICARE FOR ALL ...and Howard Dean should be heading it up--!!

Wake up, Obama -- you could be FDR -- !!

[defendandprotect]

15. Let's stop pretending we're reinventing the wheel...every other nation has done this!!!

[Arrowhead2k1]

17. But but they R COMMIES!!!!!

:/

[joeycola]

18. “He will do almost anything it takes to get one.” This is worrisome at best.

...........By signaling that they would seek to revise existing versions of legislation moving through the House and Senate, administration officials and Democratic leaders in Congress — many of whom had said earlier in the summer that they saw no need to scale back their ambitions — made clear that their political calculations had changed. With Congressional Republicans standing almost unanimously in opposition to the Democratic approach, the target now for Mr. Obama is primarily a handful of moderate Democrats and the one Republican who seems open to a deal, Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine.

“It’s so important to get a deal,” a White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to be candid about strategy. “He will do almost anything it takes to get one.”

[No Elephants]

20. Hey! He prefers it. Is that not reassuring enough for you?

We should have seen this coming when Obamadmin would not give Dr. Howard Dean the time of day, let alone a cabinet position.