President open to four GOP ideas on health care overhaul
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama offered Tuesday to address some of the concerns expressed by Republicans in the health care debate as the two parties maneuvered for advantage heading into the legislative end game.
In a letter to congressional leaders of both parties, Obama said he was open to four specific ideas raised by Republicans at the daylong health care forum last week, including encouraging the use of tax-advantaged medical savings accounts and increasing payments to doctors who treat Medicaid patients.
By signaling that he is open to the opposition's ideas, Obama struck a bipartisan tone even as the White House prepared the ground for Democratic efforts to pass comprehensive legislation on a party-line vote. Obama is scheduled to speak about his strategy for passing the bill in remarks today at the White House.
Democrats are planning to use a parliamentary device known as reconciliation that would allow them to complete the process with a simple majority vote in the Senate rather than subjecting the bill to the 60-vote requirement to overcome a filibuster.
Heavy duty tarps Republicans have denounced the use of the device on the health bill as short-cutting the regular process.
In response, the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, warned that Republicans would use the health issue to bludgeon Democrats in this year's midterm elections. If the Democrats "jam" an expansive bill through Congress, McConnell said,
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