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June 24, 2009

Obama Defends Public Health Plan, But Signals Willingness to Drop It
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President Obama was speaking at his fourth White House news conference.
After his comments on Iran, Obama was asked about protests from
insurance companies that his support for a government-run public option
in healthcare reform would put them out of business.

President Obama: “Why would it drive private insurance out of business?
If private—if private insurers say that the marketplace provides the
best quality healthcare, if they tell us that they’re offering a good
deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can’t run
anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not
logical.”

Although Obama defended the public health option, he later suggested an
openness to dropping it entirely. Asked if the inclusion of a
government-run program in healthcare reform is “non-negotiable,” Obama
initially ignored the question. When later asked to respond again, Obama
refused to call the public health proposal non-negotiable and said he
hasn’t “drawn lines in the sand.”

President Obama: “We are still early in this process. So, you know, we
have not drawn lines in the sand, other than that reform has to control
costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don’t have health
insurance or are underinsured. You know, those are the broad parameters
that we’ve discussed.”



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