White House reiterates: Public option is negotiable

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WASHINGTON -- It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday.

"The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," he said in an interview. "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable.

...

Mr. Emanuel said one of several ways to meet President Barack Obama's goals is a mechanism under which a public plan is introduced only if the marketplace fails to provide sufficient competition on its own.

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Some Democrats pushing for a vigorous public plan say the trigger idea isn't good enough. Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in an interview, "If it's not there on day one, those of us who support a public option have a real problem with it."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124692407982802911.html

[Chica Yeyé 41]

"The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," he said in an interview. "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable.

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"The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," he said in an interview. "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable.

What's so funny?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

saying "insurers" and "honest" in the same sentence, that's what.

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saying "insurers" and "honest" in the same sentence, that's what.

i disagree.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

saying "insurers" and "honest" in the same sentence, that's what.

i disagree.

stfu and eat your cheerios.

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yes'm

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Don't you just hate it when people just don't pick fights with you?????

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A day after his chief of staff suggested the White House could live with a public option-free health care reform bill, President Obama released a statement reaffirming his support for a government-run health care plan:

"I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals."

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/07...5cfeb5afa7.html

[Peikko 1,575]

I don't think anything can 'force' a private company to be 'honest' in this situation. Paper over the cracks solutions will just confirm what the reps already know. Let's just keep things as they are now, that way everyone will be happy.