By GottaLaff
We miss the public option. I hope it misses us:
President Barack Obama sought to muscle House and Senate Democrats to reach an accord on healthcare reform during a daylong White House meeting Wednesday. [...]The excise tax, which is strongly opposed by organized labor, is the sticking point. The House Dems are not pleased.
“Today we made significant progress in bridging the remaining gaps between the two health insurance reform bills," Obama, Pelosi and Reid said in a joint statement issued afterward. "We’re encouraged and energized, and we’re resolved to deliver reform legislation that provides more stability and security for those with insurance, extends coverage to those who don’t have coverage, and lowers costs for families, businesses, and governments.”
Though the president left the gathering periodically to conduct other business, such as leading the United States’s response to the massive earthquake in Haiti, Vice President Joe Biden attended a portion of the meeting and senior administration officials such as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle and Obama’s congressional liaison Phil Schiliro remained to help House and Senate leaders broker agreements on the outstanding issues standing in the way of passing final legislation. [...]
[A] senior House aide said the appearance of the key participants working into the night left the impression that Obama was looking to “force some decisions and that takes a lot of time.”
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