On Monday, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel indicated that the Obama administration would support legislation that included a trigger mechanism that would create a public health insurance option only if the private health insurance market failed to provide sufficient competition, the Wall Street Journal reports.
President Obama has continually expressed support for a public health insurance option.
However, White House aides have signaled a willingness to consider a health insurance cooperative model as a bipartisan alternative to a public option.
Emanuel said, "The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," adding, "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable (Meckler/Adamy, Wall Street Journal, 7/7).
Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday examined the definition of a public health insurance option and what it would essentially entail (Fulton, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/7).