Just weeks ago, President Obama characterized a public insurance option as an almost essential component of any health care overhaul and an important tool with which to discipline insurance companies. Nevermind that a government-sponsored alternative to private health plans was already emerging as a stumbling block to serious health care overhaul. The president, at a June 23 White House press conference, said an government-run plan that isn't profit-driven, provides quality care and keeps down administrative costs simply "makes sense."
"The notion that all these insurance companies who say they're giving consumers the best possible deal, if they can't compete against a public plan as one option, with consumers making the decision what's the best deal, that defies logic, which is why I think you've seen in the polling data overwhelming support for a public plan," Obama said.
Fast forward to today. With health care talks bogged down in the House and Senate, the administration appears more receptive to fallbacks to the government-run option, including a consumer-owned "co-op" health plan that's being discussed in the Senate Finance Committee. But aides don't appear to be in a rush to learn all the messy details.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday portrayed Obama as decidedly hands-off while lawmakers ponder proposals that will determine the contours of his top domestic initiative. He said he wasn't sure whether administration officials have evaluated the draft the Finance panel is completing, adding. "We have not yet seen the outlines."
"Once we have the process through the House and the Senate and things like that, we'll take a -- there will obviously be that process of reconciling whatever different proposals come out," Gibbs said.
Pressed on whether administration lobbyists are trying to steer congressional negotiators back toward a public plan, Gibbs replied, "I don't have anything specific on what those guys are telling him (sic), except hoping that the Finance Committee can come to a conclusion ... I think again we're just -- we're influencing the process forward."
Gibbs was willing, however, to shoot down suggestions that Obama is willing to sign anything the House and Senate send him, in order to declare victory.
"The President wants something that accomplishes the principles and the goals that he set forth in this process, and quite frankly, dating back to the campaign, that honestly cuts costs, honestly changes the direction of spending on health care both for families, small businesses and for governments," Gibbs said. "Once we have the process through the House and the Senate and things like that, we'll take a -- there will obviously be that process of reconciling whatever different proposals come out, but I think there's broad agreement thus far."
Yet another sign Obama and his aides are willing to give Congress ownership of the issue for now, but are poised to step in and dictate the outcome of any House-Senate conference in the fall.
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