Obama to Forge a Greater Role on Health Care reports that President Obama, back from his Middle East foray, will be looking to push through comprehensive health care reforms this year - and given the unpopularity of his Congressional leaders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid and fearful that some of his core principles are under threat, Obama is taking charge rather than letting the legislative process take its course.
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But Mr. Obama has grown concerned that he is losing the debate over certain policy prescriptions he favors, like a government-run insurance plan to compete with the private sector, said one Democrat familiar with his thinking. With Congress beginning a burst of work on the measure, top advisers say, the president is determined to make certain the final bill bears his stamp.
“Ultimately, as happened with the recovery act, it will become President Obama’s plan,” the White House budget director, Peter R. Orszag, said in an interview. “I think you will see that evolution occurring over the next few weeks. We will be weighing in more definitively, and you will see him out there.”
On Saturday, while Mr. Obama was traveling in Europe, he used his weekly radio and Internet address to make the case that “the status quo is broken” and to set forth his ambitious goals.
Broadly speaking, he wants to extend coverage to the 45 million uninsured while lowering costs, improving quality and preserving consumer choice. His budget includes what he called a “historic down payment” of $634 billion over 10 years, accomplished mostly by slowing Medicare growth and limiting tax breaks for those with high incomes.
President Obama's June 6th Weekly Address on Health Care:
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