When President Obama addresses Congress tonight, he will not issue an ultimatum that any health care reform bill that reaches him must contain a public option:
President Barack Obama plans to give a strong endorsement of a public option – or government health-insurance plan – in his remarks to Congress on Wednesday night but will stop short of an ultimatum, leaving wiggle room for negotiation as the bill moves through Congress, according to sources familiar with his remarks.
In a speech meant to reset debate on the centerpiece of his first-term agenda, Obama can be expected to use language similar to his Labor Day remarks in Cincinnati, where he said: “I continue to believe that a public option within that basket of insurance choices will help improve quality and bring down costs.”
Anxious to navigate treacherous divides in the Senate, the president will stop short of drawing a line in the sand, as many liberal House Democrats want. He will not demand that a public option must be in any reform bill he signs, the sources said.
Reaching out to Republicans and independents, the president will acknowledge a problem with medical malpractice litigation, suggesting that topic can be included in the debate on an overall reform package.
Obama’s speech will kick off a series of high-profile White House health-care activities, including a presidential rally for health care Saturday in the Midwest.
This is bound to make the left upset, but it seems to be the only option Obama has if he wants to get something he can call “health care reform” passed into law this year.
Man it really hurts when the president of the USA only a few months into office can’t even get the Democrats to agree on health care reform. Obama sure isn’t much of a leader is he ?
[...] over the last few weeks, with one of the core areas of controversy being the inclusion of a “Public Option” framework imposed by the Federal Government. This provision, opens an avenue or [...]