What Next for Health Care Effort?
Obama's meeting with Democrats and Republicans could mark a final push to pass a reform bill, with or without the Republicans.
26 February 2010
President Obama shakes hands with Republican Congressman Joe Barton of Texas during the talks Thursday at Blair House, across from the White House
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
This week, President Obama led a meeting of Democratic and Republican lawmakers to discuss health reform. Thursday's meeting lasted more than six hours and was broadcast live on television and the Internet.
Some experts think the president could be making his last major push to get a health care bill through Congress. He urged the two sides to look for common ground.
BARACK OBAMA: "I hope that this isn't political theater where we are just playing to the cameras and criticizing each other, but instead we are actually trying to solve the problem."
But it did not take long for the health care meeting to become heated. Republicans said the majority Democrats in Congress had ignored them in writing legislation.
LAMAR ALEXANDER: "Our country's too big, too complicated, too decentralized for Washington, a few of us here, just to write a few rules about remaking seventeen percent of the economy all at once."
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said cutting health care costs step by step is better than the Democrats' plan.
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