President Obama's news conference yesterday was part of an orchestrated attempt by the White House to draw public attention to the need for overhauling the country's health care system.
It appears most Americans agree. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a majority think major reform is needed, though there is still "broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill."
Meanwhile, Roll Call reports Senators conceded "that it appears increasingly unlikely that
Congress will reach a bipartisan consensus on health care reform this
year, with a rift growing over whether to include a government-run
insurance option in the legislation."
"Senate Democrats, charging
that Republicans are unwilling to compromise, are sending strong
signals that they have no intention of settling for weak reforms just
to achieve bipartisanship. Democratic leaders now appear to be
considering a repeat of the final negotiations over President Barack
Obama's $787 billion stimulus package, which curried favor with just
three GOP Senators."
Later today, Obama will host a health care meeting with a bipartisan group of governors and will hold a televised town hall on the issue.