WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is signaling that he's open to compromise on overhauling the nation's health care system. Obama told participants at the end of a health summit that although he offered a plan during last year's campaign, he isn't wedded to that proposal. He told Republicans and Democrats, doctors and insurers — "I just want to figure out what works."
The president said there are some elements that all sides can agree on, such as electronic health records that will save lives and money. Other issues — such as his $634 billion down payment for expanded coverage — are certain to create deep divisions.
He said: "We have to keep an open mind."
Obama invited more than 120 people who hold a wide range of views on how to fix the system.
Obama entered the room with Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is battling a brain tumor. After brief remarks summarizing the participants' observations, Obama called on Kennedy. The veteran Democratic senator said he looked forward to being a foot soldier in the push for health care reform and said: "this time we will not fail."
The big Washington session — Obama called it a health care summit — and meetings to follow around the country show the new president's push for universal health care coverage will be more open and inclusive than the Clinton administration's failed attempt of 15 years ago.
"In this effort, every voice has to be heard. Every idea must be considered. ... There should be no sacred cows," Obama said as he opened his White House forum on what he calls the greatest threat to the U.S. economy — rising health care costs. Mindful that opponents derailed the Clinton plan, Obama also issued a warning: "Those who seek to block any reform at all, any reform at any cost, will not prevail this time around."
The U.S. system is the world's costliest; the country spends some $2.4 trillion a year on health care. It leaves an estimated 48 million people uninsured, and many others lack adequate insurance.
Although he wants coverage for all, the president suggested a willingness to compromise. That, too, was a break from former President Bill Clinton's posture in the 1990s when he promised to veto any health care measure that didn't give him what he sought.
This time, Obama said, "Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything we want, and no proposal for reform will be perfect." And, he said, "While everyone has a right to take part in this discussion, no one has the right to take it over."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29524754/
The president said there are some elements that all sides can agree on, such as electronic health records that will save lives and money. Other issues — such as his $634 billion down payment for expanded coverage — are certain to create deep divisions.
He said: "We have to keep an open mind."
Obama invited more than 120 people who hold a wide range of views on how to fix the system.
Obama entered the room with Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is battling a brain tumor. After brief remarks summarizing the participants' observations, Obama called on Kennedy. The veteran Democratic senator said he looked forward to being a foot soldier in the push for health care reform and said: "this time we will not fail."
The big Washington session — Obama called it a health care summit — and meetings to follow around the country show the new president's push for universal health care coverage will be more open and inclusive than the Clinton administration's failed attempt of 15 years ago.
"In this effort, every voice has to be heard. Every idea must be considered. ... There should be no sacred cows," Obama said as he opened his White House forum on what he calls the greatest threat to the U.S. economy — rising health care costs. Mindful that opponents derailed the Clinton plan, Obama also issued a warning: "Those who seek to block any reform at all, any reform at any cost, will not prevail this time around."
The U.S. system is the world's costliest; the country spends some $2.4 trillion a year on health care. It leaves an estimated 48 million people uninsured, and many others lack adequate insurance.
Although he wants coverage for all, the president suggested a willingness to compromise. That, too, was a break from former President Bill Clinton's posture in the 1990s when he promised to veto any health care measure that didn't give him what he sought.
This time, Obama said, "Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything we want, and no proposal for reform will be perfect." And, he said, "While everyone has a right to take part in this discussion, no one has the right to take it over."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29524754/
