White House: public health care plan is negotiable

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlMpJGn28kqCcgU-aGcYE_ZHW-ywD9AHT2U02

White House: public health care plan is negotiable
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP) – 31 minutes ago

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

Gibbs called the government plan a valuable tool. But asked if 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.

I read the same words and come to different conclusions, but I guess if AP says it that means it's a fact.

:eyes:

People like me, who voted for you, donated money to your campaign, and gave time to help you get elected did NOT do it for you to "negotiate" our interests away.

This is not change, this is protecting the health insurance industry, who is responsible for much pain and death over the years due to refusal to provide services. They NEED to be regulated. They NEED to be forced to bring costs down. The CEO of United Health Care doesn't walk away with $750 million in salary and bonuses by being fair with premiums and coverage.

Do the math, Barack. Fix the problem. And negotiating it away will only cause you to lose core support, which you will need for the next 3 years, if you want to remain in the White House.

And when a worthless bill comes out, and he signs it, he will be able to say - well, Congress didn't bring me anything better than this so its all we could do for you, if you have a problem go talk to them, they negotiated your healt care away.

This is my opinion, but it seems that without the public option, the left will be pissed at him. But the fact is, he can't get reelected without the independent vote, and it doesn't seem that they want government getting into the insurance business.
He probably figures that the left isn't going to abandon him regardless or what he does, since he knows they aren't going to vote for the republicans, so I think we will see him dropping the public option.

In all regions of the country except the South, independents overwhelmingly suppot the public option.

By throwing the public option overboard, Obama will lose the left and the center.

And he never had the right to begin with.

He's triangulating himself out of a second term.

It seems like he's caving on this, he isn't stupid. We have large majorities in congress, we could get the public option through with his leadership, I don't understand it.

truth be told this is a Goldman Sachs admin with a leader thats not willing to fight back

weakness. Harry Truman would never have said "negotiable", and he took down MacArthur, who was a hell of a lot tougher than anyone Obama is facing.