Obama: Healthcare reform can’t wait a generation

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Healthcare reform can't wait a generation

Two days after a healthcare summit that produced no Republican converts, Obama used his weekly radio address to try to rally public support for a Democratic bid to press ahead with reform legislation, with or without bipartisan agreement.

The White House said Obama would announce a decision next week on “the way forward” on healthcare, signaling his patience is running thin with Republicans who have demanded he scrap his year-old approach and start over.

Facing limited options, Obama’s aides and fellow Democrats are focusing on prospects for resorting to a parliamentary tactic called reconciliation that would bypass the need for Republican support and allow approval by a simple majority vote in the Democratic-led Congress.

With Republicans condemning any such move, it would be a politically risky maneuver in a congressional election year when polls show many Americans skeptical of Obama’s efforts to revamp the $2.5 trillion healthcare industry.

“I am eager and willing to move forward with members of both parties on health care if the other side is serious about coming together to resolve our differences and get this done,” Obama said. “But I also believe that we cannot lose the opportunity to meet this challenge.”

“The tens of millions of men and women who cannot afford their health insurance cannot wait another generation for us to act,” he said.

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Obama: Healthcare reform can’t wait a generation | Reuters.