Obama pitches public option on health care overhauls, says he’s open on ‘how to set this up’

September 13th, 2009 Axelrod says public option is aliveWASHINGTON — The top adviser to President Barack Obama says the White House is "not willing to accept" that Congress will reject a government-run public option in the health care overhaul. David Axelrod says such an option remains Obama's preference for setting up a system that would provide coverage for Americans who can't afford health insurance.

September 13th, 2009 Gibbs: Public option 1 way to meet coverage goalWASHINGTON — White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says it's not true that a health care overhaul will affect people who already have insurance. He says President Barack Obama is determined that health care legislation provides Americans with a choice of insurers and competition for the companies that now dominate the market.

September 10th, 2009 Sector Snap: Insurers gain ground after speechNEW YORK — Shares of health insurers gained some ground Thursday after President Barack Obama reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the health care system in a televised speech to a joint session of Congress. The debate over specific ways to reform the system continues, and the Wednesday night speech had few surprises in that area.

September 9th, 2009 Not-for-profit public option part of health planWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says a not-for-profit public option needs to be available as part of any health care overhaul. He says it would keep insurance companies honest.

September 8th, 2009 Obama: 'We intend to get something done this year'WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the health care speech he will deliver Wednesday night will do two things: help the public understand what he is proposing and show that he's open to new ideas for achieving his goals. But he insisted that "we do intend to get something done this year." The president commented in an interview scheduled for broadcast Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Obama's plan for overhauling the nation's health care system is stalled in Congress, largely due to disagreement over a government-run insurance option that would compete with private insurers.

September 4th, 2009 Obama talks to House liberals about health careWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama discussed health care in a conference call with House members, including liberals wary of his next move on the issue. Obama, who is at Camp David, spoke to leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Friday.

August 30th, 2009 Kerry: Compromise may be necessary but not yetWASHINGTON — A leading Democratic senator says backers of a public option in President Barack Obama's attempt to overhaul health care may need to compromise on the issue but adds that such a point hasn't been reached yet. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts suggested that compromise on the public option could become necessary if and when Democrats get to the point where they are not going to get there.

August 23rd, 2009 McCain: Obama must drop health care public optionWASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obama will have to drop proposals for a government-run health insurance option if he hopes to reach congressional agreement on health-care reform.

August 20th, 2009 Obama stands by belief a public option is viableWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is standing by his position that a public option for health insurance coverage should be considered as part of legislation to overhaul the health care system. In an interview Thursday with Philadelphia-based radio talk show host Michael Smerconish, Obama said that "the press got excited and some folks on the left got a little excited" when the administration last weekend made statements indicating that a publicly-run health insurance option was just one of several alternatives.

August 18th, 2009 Gibbs insists Obama not backing off public optionWASHINGTON — White House spokesman Robert Gibbs insists the Obama administration has not shifted its goals on health care reform or distanced itself from a government-run public insurance option. He said in a meeting with reporters Tuesday morning that news stories suggesting that the administration was ready to abandon the public option as it battles to push health care reform through were overblown.

August 17th, 2009 Dean: Public option a must for health care reformWASHINGTON — Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is arguing that there can be no meaningful overhaul of the health care system without a public option for coverage. A leading player in the party's liberal wing, Dean said in a nationally broadcast interview Monday he thinks providing a government role in insurance coverage is fair.

August 16th, 2009 Sebelius: Public insurance option not essentialWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's health secretary is suggesting the White House is ready to accept nonprofit insurance cooperatives instead of a government-run public option in a health overhaul plan. A Republican senator says that is worth looking at.

July 28th, 2009 Obama: Existing health system threatens MedicareWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is telling participants in an online forum on health care that the current system and its skyrocketing costs are a threat to Medicare. Obama says the Medicare trust fund will be in the red and out of money in a decade unless Washington overhauls the system.

July 16th, 2009 GOP fails to strip public option from health billWASHINGTON — Republicans have failed to strip a government-run benefits plan from the House bill overhauling health care. The House Ways and Means Committee voted 25-15 on Thursday to keep the government-run option in the bill, rejecting an amendment by Wisconsin Republican Rep.

July 15th, 2009 Obama praises progress on health care overhaulWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says his administration will push through an overhaul of the nation's health care system and is urging Congress to finish the work before leaving for an August recess. Obama on Wednesday praised House and Senate versions of a bill to expand health care coverage to millions of Americans.