Reports that President Obama could accept a reform plan without a government-run public option have triggered a barrage of comments from administration officials and congressional leaders insisting that the public option remains on the table, as well as discussion of how health insurance cooperatives would work. Here's a selection of the news coverage:
CQ Politics: On Sunday, Kathleen Sebelius, the health secretary, said the public option was "not essential," emphasizing President Obama's comment at a Saturday town hall that the public option is "just one sliver" of reform. But, "White House officials said Monday the remarks… were being taken out of context and misunderstood. 'Nothing has changed,' said… a spokeswoman for the White House Office of Health Reform" (Norman, 8/18).