Obama to get specific on healthcare legislation

[liberal N proud]

The president will detail his ideas days before the televised congressional talks planned next week. It marks a change in tack from his approach to let congressional leaders take the lead.


Reporting from Washington - President Obama, after sustaining months of criticism for not being clear about what he wanted in healthcare legislation, will post specific proposals for a comprehensive plan on the Internet by Monday, according to the White House.

The posting would come three days before a televised meeting that Obama plans to convene with congressional Democratic and Republican leaders in hopes of restarting his stalled bid to overhaul the nation's healthcare system.

"There will be one proposal. It is the president's," Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday while unveiling a report highlighting large premium increases by insurance companies nationwide, including California-based Anthem Blue Cross.

"I think the idea is that it will take some of the best of the ideas and put them into a framework moving forward," Sebelius said.

The rest of the article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-obama-health19-2010feb19,0,5019716.story?track=ntothtml

[freddie mertz]

1. So, will he support the current PO-reconciliation drive?

I would be amazed if he did.

Let's wait and see.

[Change Happens]

5. He cannot flat out oppose it, can he?

[karynnj]

6. It will be interesting to see

The surprise here to me is that I would have thought that he might have a plan ... and a default plan. Where the default plan is the Senate bill and a reconciliation package that he has 50 Senators signed on to pass unless the plan gets significant bipartisan support insuring 60 plus votes in the Senate.

The danger is that the Republicans will play with the "plan" until it is too late to do the default plan. If they have the votes, he needs to set a deadline on the plan that allows them to move on the default plan.

[asdjrocky]

2. I imagine he'll come out in favor of a strong public option.

I hope so. I really do.

[ohiodemocratic]

3. agree. It would make no sense to go to reconciliation without the public option

Reconciliation is a way to say, "screw you, Republicans, we'll get what we want." And Obama wants a public option, or so his closest supporters say. so it makes sense to me to expect him to call for a P.O.

[asdjrocky]

4. Perfect sense.

It's practically in the bag!

[DFW]

7. Great! How about this afternoon?

Any time--it's not like this would count as rushing things, after all.