Obama Advisers Flexible on Public Option

White House Officials Refuse to Be Pinned Down on Gov't Role in Health Reform

(AP)  White House officials said Sunday a government health insurance option is negotiable, signaling a potential compromise on an issue that President Obama's liberal supporters consider do-or-die.

As Mr. Obama prepares for a Wednesday night speech to Congress in a risky bid to salvage his top domestic priority, political adviser David Axelrod said a public plan is not the core issue in the health care debate. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs danced around a question about whether Mr. Obama would veto a bill without the public option.

The president "believes the public option is a good tool," said Axelrod, who joined with Gibbs in a one-two punch on the Sunday talk shows. "It shouldn't define the whole health care debate, however."

Their appearances came ahead of Congress' return this week from a summer break that saw eroding public support for an overhaul and contentious town hall meetings in lawmakers' districts.

Gibbs called the government plan a valuable tool. But asked if Mr. Obama would reject legislation that didn't include it, he responded: "We are not going to prejudge where the process will be."

"I doubt we are going to get into heavy veto threats" in the president's speech, Gibbs added.

Their comments on the public plan echoed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' remarks last month that a government alternative to private insurance is "not the essential element" in revamping the system to guarantee coverage for all and try to curb unsustainable costs.

Liberals - many of whom want to do away with the private health insurance industry and replace it with Medicare for all - were furious. At the time, White House officials said Sebelius' remarks were being misinterpreted. Left unclear was Mr. Obama's bottom line.

CBS News.com’s complete coverage of the health care debate

Now it seems that Mr. Obama and his top aides are coming around to the view that a public plan is not essential. On a call with prominent liberal House members Friday, Mr. Obama refused to be pinned down on the issue, a participant told The Associated Press.

Independents who helped propel Mr. Obama to the presidency are increasingly skeptical. Unsubstantiated allegations that the legislation would promote euthanasia grabbed headlines. But beneath such controversies, voters appear most concerned about the scope and costs of the bill - around $1 trillion over 10 years.

Gibbs said Mr. Obama will refocus the debate on the benefits of overhauling the system: more security and lower costs for the majority of people who have health insurance, and new ways to help self-employed people and small businesses get coverage.

"People will leave that speech knowing where he stands," said Gibbs. He said Mr. Obama is considering offering his own health care legislation, instead of letting Congress sort out all the details.

Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," while Gibbs was on ABC's "This Week."

[OregonJames]

It would be foolish to rule out any option WHILE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ONGOING. Why is everyone so excited? Nothing has happened yet. There are only ideas at this time, not official plans.

This is a perfect example of media hysteria.

[spiritwalk]

Everyone is so excited because they do not want to see thsi country go the way of the rest of the industrialized world and have a system of health care where a child receives medical care wheter his parents are rich or poor.

This un-American idea of letting morality play a part in the countrys decisions on the health care issue is offensive to those who have grown up believing that there is one set of standards for the haves and one for the have nots do not want to relinquish what they are entiltled to as one of the haves. They have worked to hard to maintain the illusion that they are guaranteed special treatment that they are offended that they have to be confronted with issues of poverty and hunger, so now to have to make them look at sick poor children and come to some moral decision about whetther or not they deserve to see a doctor when they are sick. Real Americans should not have to think about those who are worse off than they are.

These socializt, communist, facist ant-Christian countries that allocate health care to those who need it rather than those with the ability to pay are trying to destroy American values.

Maybe it does say something in the Constitution about providing for the needs of all the citizens, not just the rich, but they put that in as a joke and real Americans do not care to be forced to confront issues of morality.

[jon2012-2009]

by slownewsday_5 September 6, 2009 3:31 PM EDT
Right, StopDcratSocialism -
YOU were the one yesterday who said "The d-crat socialists plan to GUT SOCIAL SECURITY, just as they are planning to do to Medicare."
You call the democrats socialists.
And yet you are worried about the two most socialist programs in the US?
Make up your mind!
-----------
Don't expect these lunatics to be logical or know what they're talking about.

[hungry1968-16]

by lorinkundert September 6, 2009 9:34 PM EDT
It is amazing to see how far that disease called "Socialism" has spread throughout a once great nation, but there is a cure, it is called the 2nd Amendment.







You're going to "eat a bullet"?

[spiritwalk]

There is one simple question; that can easily be answered with a YES or a NO that is guaranteed to bring out more anger, insults and abuse than any other question on the subject. And it makes no sense for that reaction.

Question: If the child of a rich family and the child of a poor family are sick with the same medical condition, do the two children morally deserve the same medical care?

Now, watch the rabid dogs start fighting.

[chonder2]

It is amazing to see how far that disease called "Neo-con/Corporate greed" has spread throughout this once great nation, but there is a cure,Democracy!

[whatdableep]

This is insane - every other news article says White House firm on public option and then an article that says they are willing to negotiate. BS. Stand firm for the public option and to hell with the republicans - bring the democrats in line Mr. President. Play hard ball with them the way Cheney did with the Republicans if you have to but DO IT!

[chonder2]

The rich child because I worship money!

[rightbehind]

President Obama's advisers might be flexible but we the majority that put democrats back in control are not. The public option better be there.

[vpcharan]

As long as cost of healthcare is not effectively controlled the reform bill will be useless no matter if the bill has public option or co-ops. Co-op has been operating in Washington State for several years now. These co-ops are nonprofit organizations that are run by consumer appointed boards. Sounds good on paper, but Co-ops are not immune from increasing healthcare costs. For example, the Seattle-based co-op closed a hospital in Redmond last year, and to deal with rising health costs, Group Health raised its premium rates by 13 percent this year, after a 9.7 percent rate increase last year. Private insurers in the state also spiked their rates ? Regence raised its rates nearly 17 percent this year, and Premera's increased by about 6 percent. So, what is the difference between nonprofit co-ops and for-profit insurance companies? Not much at all.

We need strict regulatory oversight on the private insurance, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We need REAL DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN THE COST OF CARE AND A FREEZE ON RATE INCREASE FOR NEXT TEN YEARS. Cost for treatments that do not benefit the patient must not be reimbursed. It is absolutely insane to reward a failed product/treatment. No industry in the world sells a defective product to a customer. Why not follow this principle for healthcare?

[rightbehind]

Cincinnati had another tea party this weekend. They had about 6 thousand people show up. They also had big name republican politicians at the event. There are over 2 million people that live within a 10 mile radius of where this tea party occurred. If you wanted proof just how small the following is for these "tea parties" here it is. Cincinnati "Riverfest" which is the annual fireworks display happens tonight. They expect over 250 thousand to attend. Like I said you have less than 1% of the population that want to control the direction for the other 99%. Bring on the vote for public health care!

[rightbehind]

Public option or nothing. We'll use the vote to clean our ranks and go for single payer in 2011. The yellow dog democrats in the senate are the holdup. It's time they show us their colors so we cam clean our ranks. Bring on the vote!

[alanrobisch]

I don't want to scare you but chances are that any blue dog dem will be replaced by a republican. Americans don't want what obama is selling

[alanrobisch]

they have waffled more times on the health care plan than I can remember. I don't think the anger about the plan has gone away and I don't think the president can talk the people into a plan most oppose. Reform may be needed but massive reform isn't and a basic problem that must be struggled with is bringing down the cost of healthcare. Answers such as tort reform would be a way to do it.

something that seems to be ignored that our population so that even if the per unit cost is brought down the cost will almost certainly go up for people on medicare. Most health costs come in the last two years of people's lives and seeing that most people on medicare are elderly this is a lead pipe cinch. Adding more people to the cost of free govt care gaurantees even further raises in cost and will mandate increase in taxes.

The more money we remove from the discretionary money people have the less that will be spent on money that will help employ more people.

[rightbehind]

The health care system is looting this Great Nation at 10 thousand per day for an ICU per person. In some cases almost 75 thousand for a single prosthetic limb for one person. Even those battery powered carts we see on the sidewalks are leased at almost 4 thousand a year per person. The public option is the only way to bring pricing into check. If the public option is not there it is a waste of time. Bring on the vote!

[alanrobisch]

you did not address a single thing I said and a public option is just the first step toward socialized medicine and a step toward rationing of medical care for all not just that do not or choose not to take health insurance

[skyk-2009]

I gotta tell you, I'm loving this. There is a LEAD PIPE CINCH the Democrats will strike a deal and we will have Health Care Reform at last. Will it be pretty and easy? Not a chance... THESE are DEMOCRATS and you couldn't put two of them in a room for 20 minutes without having a difference of opinion. I think the Moderate Republican Senators will be in there as well, trying to prevent having to run for re-election being opposed to health care reform. Not a good thing outside the stupid south. Yep this is going to be fun and it all starts WEDNESDAY NIGHT. Thats when the Party of No, with all their lies and deception, gets called out. They will then become Irrelevant for the most part.

[kevjustice]

If reconciliation is used where only 51 senate votes are needed it will be a case of "what goes around comes around"( Bush used it).

[rightbehind]

The worst part is trying to pump courage into the democrats. They definitely got the wrong people in the senate working on this. Bipartisan should have been over almost 2 months ago.

[robham777]

By downplaying the importance of a public option the President can garner support from more independents and moderate democrats. Why would anyone believe that the goal of the administration has drastically changed? Obama will continue to push his agenda with out putting any more skin in the game than he has to. In order to ensure that he has some capitol left for all the other issues he wants to tackle, he must cool the debate on this front.

[us_1776]

It seems like the right-wing is getting more and more extreme all the time. And I think I know why. It's because more and more of the centrists are abandoning the Republican party like I did years ago. All the wild accusations and extreme rhetoric coming from the Republicans does absolutely NOTHING to move the country forward.

I support the president in his effort to reform our broken health care system. All the experts agree that what we have now is going to fail catastopically. Hell, it's already failed catastrophically. We have almost 50 million Americans without health insurance. That's a failed system. And if you think by asking the private insurers nicely to quite denying people coverage and charging astronomical rates if you have a "pre-existing condition" that that is reform then you don't understand anything about the problem. The only permanent check that stands any chance is the public option because it is the only viable competition to the corrupt private insurers. And with this competition there will be no MEANINGFUL reform.

[us_1776]

Correction: And without this competition there will be no MEANINGFUL reform.

[robham777]

I would think that any legislation which reduced cost and increased access to health care would be meaningful, regardless if it falls short of your expectations.

[notsouthern]

by SouthernForever

Lezlie is just a bitter southerner who's daddy used to abuse her, and now she is a southern lesbian/liar.

[rightbehind]

I'm glad to see people with courage like Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters. It was a pleasure to watch Maxine this morning open up a can of whoop ace on the republicans.

[nottellin1]

What planet do you live on?

[skyk-2009]

nottellin1, Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters have both said they will NOT pass a bill that does not include a Public Option. THAT took a lot of courage here on PLANET EARTH... now what planet are YOU on or are you part of the Irrelevant Confederate Party? ROFLMAO

[rightbehind]

If there is not a strong public option in this health care plan I will stay home during the next election. If the majority wanted things status quo republicans would still be in charge. I may even join the tea parties because we obviously have a government that looks out for special interest rather than the people that voted them in. Public option or nothing. Fix it or let it all fail is fine by me. I'm tired of my tax dollars being looted by the health care corporations.

[reveal5]

rightbehind, by all means, join a "Tea Party" What do you have to lose, besides your mind. They'll zip you into the "Instant Insanitizer" and quick as a jiffy, 95% of America will think you, too, are a loon. Won't that be nice.

[rightbehind]

by reveal5 September 6, 2009 4:55 PM EDT
rightbehind, by all means, join a "Tea Party" What do you have to lose, besides your mind. They'll zip you into the "Instant Insanitizer" and quick as a jiffy, 95% of America will think you, too, are a loon. Won't that be nice.


I know what your saying. My fear is the politicians no longer represent the people who put them in office. They put together a bailout for pathetic wall street in days. The amount of money for public health care would take almost ten years to accumulate what they give to wall street. What else can one do if the politicians don't listen to the people that put them in office?

[slownewsday_5]

I am a fiscal conservative - I support abolishing personal income tax and using a national sales tax that the gov't would have to work within, and not be allowed to borrow.

However, I am amazed at the people who claim to be fiscal conservatives, yet supported our government's mismanagement of funds in the unnecessary Iraq war. It should have been started by the UN if it had really been needed, and supported in dollars and lives equally by our allies. .

I am amazed at the people who cry "socialist!" who are soooo concerned about losing Social Security or Medicare, when they are the two most socialist programs in the US.

Think, people, rather than being lemmings.



.

[slownewsday_5]

"by SouthernForever
Mainly because those with a brain support the Iraq war and still do."


Only ad hominem attacks?

And I thought you said the Iraq war was over, Rowdy. I guess you just slipped there, didn't you?


.

[slownewsday_5]

"by McHineguy
And THAT is why the Dems polls are falling. You won last years ELECTION. You didnt win the whole pot forever. Keep taking away freedoms and inciting division and the GOP will be back in a wink of an Sarah Palins eye. "


Ahhh, but McHine, I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican, either.

I think both of the parties are Spendocratic.

Honestly, it's ridiculous to think that everyone in the nation is either a Dem or a Repub - they are pretty much the same party, with the exception thta the Repubs are SOCIAL conservatives.

Neither party is fiscally conservative.


.

[slownewsday_5]

"by McHineguy

the GOP will be back in a wink of an Sarah Palins eye. "


Truly, I thought you were rational. Palin the Quitter would put the Repubs under permanently. That's not hyperbole.


.

[woeisme1]

September will be a month of surprises.

[rightbehind]

It better include the public option!

[ubrew12]

The White House is circulating an upbeat polling memo citing a bunch of public surveys showing that public opinion still tilts heavily in Obama's favor on health care. The memo cites general numbers showing support for action and for Obama's plan.

But here's the funny thing: every poll cited in this memo also found strong support for the inclusion of a public plan. Apparently, the White House doesn't want you to know that 60%, 55%, and 59% (and 43% in a flawed MSNBC poll) of people surveyed want a PUBLIC OPTION!! Not just 'change', but a PUBLIC OPTION.

So Obama is not just planning to ditch the majority of the country in favor of a public option. But he's willing to be dishonest in doing so. It's tough enough having to battle Republicans for a public option. But having to battle Democrats as well...

[pubsrtoast]

That is exactly why his approval numbers are dropping. The people that sent him to Washington did not expect or want his agenda to be vetted by the party of no.

[jon2012-2009]

Maybe, Obama isn't as independent of corporate influence as we'd like to believe. We know all pols receive money from special interests but that the Democrats, at least, still manage to take a stand on issues that strongly reflect their own political values--consumers' rights, favoring the middle class and the poor, the environment, etc. But when push comes to shove and given some political cover, who knows?

Obama's numbers will continue to drop from Democrats' disillusionment themselves even without Republican loony ravings about government takeover of the economy.