Senators Lincoln and Prior encouraged on health care after a private meeting with President Obama

[Better Believe It]

- Senator Prior (D-Ark) glad to hear only about 5% of uninsured would have access to public insurance. -

Lincoln, Pryor confer with Obama on health care
By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
September 10, 2009

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ two U.S. senators said they came away with a private meeting with President Obama on Thursday encouraged by his openness to different ideas on reforming health care but still not ready to fully embrace his plan.

Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor were among 17 key Senate Democrats who met with Obama a day after the president outlined his goals for health care reform in an address to a joint session of Congress.

Lincoln said Obama did not change her opposition to a public option, and she was pleased to hear him say it was not the cornerstone of his plan.

“I think he reiterated what he said last night, which is that it’s a means to an end, it’s not the solution to the problem, and that there might be something out there that would be helpful in terms of creating competition in the marketplace … but I don’t think he’s wed to any name,” she said.

“There’s lots of different things out there, there’s a co-op, there’s a trigger, there’s a fallback, there’s a nonprofit plan,” she said.

Pryor said he was glad to hear Obama pin down what he means by a public option — a limited government plan that only about 5 percent of the uninsured would have access to — but he said the senators told the president the proposal’s chances were slim.

“My guess is that there are not votes to do it in the Senate, even a very modest public option like what he’s talking about,” Pryor said.

http://arkansasnews.com/2009/09/10/lincoln-pryor-confer-with-obama-on-health-care/

[jeanpalmer]

1. Obama said less than5% of the population

would sign up for his public option. 5% of the population = 15 million people.

Pryor says he was told only 5% of the uninsured would have access to it. That's about 2.5 million people.

Which one is it?

If it's the latter, you have to wonder what that public option will consist of because it looks like it won't be very attractive to people, even to the uninsured .

[vaberella]

2. I only listen to Obama. I don't listen to others.

Too BS from all sides.