GOP to Push Gradual, Market-Based Health Reform

Fallback measure would cover 15M uninsured

(NEWSER) - The White House has a less ambitious health care plan waiting in the wings if today's health care summit fails to win enough support for sweeping change. The scaled-back plan would provide health insurance to some 15 million Americans, about half the number the larger bill would cover, for a quarter of the comprehensive bill's $950 billion 10-year cost, officials tell the Wall Street Journal. More»

Merged proposal mostly follows Senate outline

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama today revealed the health care proposal he’ll be taking into bipartisan meetings this week, a $950 billion bill that hews closer to the Senate’s model than the House’s. The plan seeks to resolve some of the contentious issues between the two bills, cutting, for example, the special Medicaid deal Ben Nelson negotiated for Nebraska. The White House is signaling its readiness to incorporate Republican proposals, but made clear their demand to start from scratch was off the table. More»

Health care reform law opposition becomes Republican litmus test

(NEWSER) - The push to repeal health care reform has become a rallying cry for GOP candidates pushing for big congressional victories this year and eager to show their willingness to take on the Democratic agenda. In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist and conservative upstart Marco Rubio agreed on little else in a weekend debate, during which Crist used the issue to appear just as ready as Rubio to fight President Obama. John McCain and Sarah Palin delivered a similar message while stumping for his re-election. More»

Compromise looking more distant than ever

(NEWSER) - President Obama's health care summit left pundits from across the spectrum feeling more pessimistic than ever about the chances of crafting a bipartisan agreement on reform.

• "It was a talking-point festival," writes Peggy Noonan at the Wall Street Journal. The Republicans put forth seemingly unconnected statements, and the "boorish" Democrats appealed to sentiment in an effort to win support for a bill that they obviously plan to "bully through Congress."

Not challenging president will turn summit into PR exercise

(NEWSER) - Congressional Republicans should be a little more respectful than Joe Wilson but they shouldn't shy away from correcting the president if he makes false statements at today's health care summit, writes Karl Rove. It's only by turning the summit into a debate and challenging the president on his claims about his health plan's costs that GOPers can turn today into more than just a presidential PR exercise, Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal . More»