WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday dropped a direct reference to a government-funded public health insurance option when describing the benefits of health care reform he is pushing.
Until now, Obama has consistently touted the government-funded public option as competition for private insurers in expanding access to health coverage.
In his opening statement at a nationally televised news conference, he repeated his usual list of benefits from health care reform, but changed the wording to omit mention of a public option.
It was unclear if Obama changed the wording.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Go ahead CNN – start a fringe group similar to the birthers.
E-Gossip
I sure wish you all had clobbered W for 8 years.
Can't wait to see what you do to the next WHITE PRESIDENT.
So what if he did. This about reform. This is about making a broken system work better. UHC made a billion dollar profit when they are one of the worst insurance ocmpanies whe it comes to coverage and reimbursement. Not to mention they ship jobs to India.
The insurance companies should be glad that this is healthcare reform and not insurance reform.
will my Obama Health plan be be equal what he and congress have?
creating of new taxes without representation by Obama and if you do not conform to Obama the dictator you will be fined
No, it's just the old bait and switch, smoke and mirrors, trust me, I won't . . . in your . . ..
While he may have omitted it from his opening statement, he brought it up later. In doing so, he emphasized the important role it would play in keeping insurance companies "honest," i.e., needing to make cost-saving decisions in order to compete with the public plan, rather than decisions based strictly on maximizing profits.
It was not in his speech, but covered in the QandA session. CNN is just trying to stir up another non-issue.
If Obama can't push the public option in through Congress, greed would win over our own health.
If the last sentence cancels out what the entire article was about then why would you post this....? Walter Cronkite was right about people being presenters and not news reporters... I love CNN but please stop with the low-grade mass of opinions and false ideas that come about to get ratings. Quality over quanity is what the world needs to move forward in an intelligent way.
Just like always, says what he thinks everybody wants to hear (and changes it as needed) to get his agenda pushed through.In the old days this was called speaking wth a forked tongue,which the accomplished snake oil salesman could do well. Hope everyone sees through this smoke screen.
I applaud Pres. Obama wanting to allow everyday Americans who can not afford costly healthcare the opportunity to receive it. It is deplorable for those who CAN afford costly healthcare to deny others.
Congress is getting their share of healthcare, are they any better than any other American? Sounds like they're into their own government supported plan. Those who have health care usually receive it from the jobs they have not lost, but many don't want this legislation either. GREED is not just the bankers and WALL STREET it seems. By the way I DO HAVE HEALTHCARE!!!
We need a public Health care option and Barack needs to stand for one. Check out United HCare profit for this qtr if you have any doubts.
Always smoke and mirrors with this guy. Will he ever tell the truth?
Not surprising.. The 'public option' is a joke.
When you're being penalised financially if you don't buy into this 'public option' it's not really an option at that point. And how can the private sector hope to survive? They'll have to start offering to pay he penalty fee for not buying into the governmnet crap.
President Obama didn't reference the public option because the latest poll on the subject showed 72% of Americans want a public option.
It is a given.
The Public Option, and President Obama's support of it, was clearly discussed in response to one of the media's questions. Mountain out of a molehill, CNN?
CNN, you really have become Fox Lite.
Any thing you can do to try and stir up another conspiracy plot to appeal to the rabid Reich and the redneck knuckle draggers.
All of the answers to the questions included a public option or maybe Ed the TwitterTwit was too busy tweeting when President Obama made his point about competition would be a good measure to bring down private insurance company costs.
CNN, get your facts straight!!!! He didn't mention the public option in his opening statement, but he talked about it during the body of the question and answer and said that it was something that would be there to make the insurance companies more competitive.
Because there is NO public option in HR3200. There goes his promise last year while campaigning " If you're happy with your present medical coverage you can stay with it." It was a LIE! OUTRIGHT FREAKING LIE! Under HRC3200 EVERYBODY will be FORCE to take his socialize medicine and they'll take the money DIRECTLY from your bank account either you like it or not, it is a MANDATE!
Maybe it was Freudian moment – ego takes over reality.
The fact is, if Obama gets his way with his health care plan we lose more freedom to choose. If people knew what his plan really consists of they would be appalled. Call your congressmen/women and implore them to vote NO on Obamacare before it is too late.
I will be extremely disappointed if any public plan or option is excluded in the health care reform. We have had enough of private health insurance companies in our lives. Why should we pay higher taxes to give more profits for these companies?
If 47 millions out of 300 millions people in the US have no coverage, that is about 16% of the population uncovered. How can we cover them and lower the total costs for health care? Cut profits.
It's just the same stuff, over and over again. Where's the meat? Specfics about any of his outrageous initiatives? Can't the man take responsibility or provide leadership for anything?