Obama Debuts Health Care Reform Plan, Sans Public Option

Here we go again. In preparation for this week’s health care summit on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama has unveiled his own plan for reforming America’s ailing system, which includes a mandate for consumers to buy insurance and doesn’t include a public option.

Click here to read a rundown of Obama’s proposal on the White House’s website.

The Christian Science Monitor:

President Obama unveiled Monday his own plan for comprehensive health insurance reform, based largely on legislation the Senate passed in December. In a bow to Republicans, the plan includes new GOP-backed provisions designed to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse.

Despite hints leading up to Monday’s unveiling that Mr. Obama’s plan would include a “public option” – a government-run insurance plan designed to compete with private insurers – it does not. But his plan does set up an insurance marketplace, or “exchange,” in which consumers can shop for coverage. The plan would also create new federal authority to rein in rate hikes deemed exorbitant, a hot issue following double-digit increases announced earlier this month by Anthem Blue Cross of California.

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