Obama open to individual insurance requirement

In a letter released today by the White House today to Sen. Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, President Obama "suggests he may be open to a requirement that every American have health insurance, even though he opposed the so-called individual mandate in the presidential campaign," the Washington Post reports.

"If Congress moves forward with the requirement, as many expect, Obama says he wants a "hardship waiver to exempt Americans who cannot afford it." The Post notes that Obama's shift on the individual mandate is the second time in as many days that he has signaled a willingness to compromise on the details in his pursuit of a broad health overhaul. And, "although he has long supported a requirement that employers contribute to workers health costs, he wants an exemption for certain small businesses that 'face a number of special challenges in affording health benefits.' The protections are similar to the approach Massachusetts has taken with its three-year-old effort to provide coverage to every person in the state" (Connolly, 6/3).

Wall Street Journal: Obama also reiterated support for a proposed public-health-insurance option. "'I strongly believe that Americans should have the choice of a public health insurance option operating alongside private plans,' he said." The letter, dated Tuesday, did not offer new policy specifics, "but in a move that could appeal to Republicans, Mr. Obama said he is open to giving special consideration to proposals made by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, an independent, 17-member Congressional agency created when Republicans held control of Congress" (Pulizzi, 6/3).