Return to the blog »

A meeting at the White House

Posted by: Mark Fisher on Dec 17, 2009

Even though the Christmas holiday is rapidly approaching, and many are slowly decreasing their workloads, President Obama is hard at work convincing Senators to pass health care reform before the 25^th.  On Tuesday, the President invited the Democratic Caucus to the White House to discuss health insurance reform.

According to the Wall Street Journal,

President Barack Obama pressed Senate Democrats to close ranks quickly behind a deal that has disappointed some liberals, saying Tuesday lawmakers are "on the precipice of an achievement that has eluded Congresses and presidents for generations."

Despite a few setbacks this week, the President emphasized the importance of keeping an eye on the big picture. Obama said,

The final bill won't include everything that everybody wants. No bill can do that. We simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a longstanding and urgent problem for the American people.

The New York Times reported that the President tried to ease tensions around the bill, pointing out the benefits Americans would see in its current form.

At the White House, Mr. Obama declared himself "cautiously optimistic" after a meeting with the entire Senate Democratic caucus, where he urged senators to put aside their differences and "seize the moment," to pass a measure that would extend health coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans.

The current Senate bill has been, and will continue to be, a work-in-progress until final passage. The core of the bill-granting affordable health care to many who cannot afford it now-is still intact, and President Obama is working overtime to make sure it becomes law.