President Obama would like to see a public option included in healthcare reform legislation but he won’t insist on it, his top advisers said yesterday on Sunday morning talk shows, according to the Associated Press.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said: "He's not demanding that it's in there. He thinks it's the best possible choice."
Obama "will obviously weigh in when it's important to weigh in" on the possibility of a public option, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The White House and lawmakers are trying to blend five House and Senate committee versions of healthcare reform legislation into a bill that will pass both houses. House Democrats are advocating the government-run plan, or public option. Senate Republicans and some Democrats oppose the measure, meaning it would not win the 60 needed votes unless some lawmakers change their position.
