Obama, Snowe Step Up Healthcare Talks

 

Friday, Sep 04,2009, 9:14:26 AM   Click:

U.S. President Barack Obama and Senator Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, have intensified their discussions on a compromise health care, aides familiar with the discussions.

The compromise plan could include a government-managed public health insurance option favored by Obama, but leaves the door open for the provision to be added later under an idea proposed Snowe, sources told CNN in A report released Thursday.

Snowe is part of the bipartisan "Gang of Six" members of the Finance Committee of the Senate a proposal to negotiate health care in this room.

A source said officials are White House "deep in conversations" with Snowe on a reform measure smaller than Obama originally requested. The source told CNN the scaled-back proposal should include insurance reform, such as prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Obama and Democratic leaders are looking for a proposal that could win support from at least one or two Republicans, which could spill over to support by moderate Democrats and help bridge the often acrimonious differences on the public option issue.