President Barack Obama is planning to host a televised meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on health care reform.
The Feb. 25 meeting is an attempt to reach across the aisle but not a signal that the president plans to start over, as Republicans have demanded, a White House official said.
I want to come back [after the Presidents Day congressional recess] and have a large meeting Republicans and Democrats to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward, Obama said in an interview with Katie Couric during CBSs Super Bowl pre-game show Sunday.
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The half-day meeting will take place at Blair House, and be broadcast live, presumably by C-SPAN, making it the first televised White House meeting on health care reform since a forum last March.
While hes been very clear that he supports the House and Senate bills, if Republicans or anyone else has a plan for protecting Americans from insurance company abuses, lowering costs, reducing prescription drug prices for seniors, making coverage more secure, and offering affordable options to those without coverage, hes anxious to see it and debate the merits of it, the White House official said.
Legislators from both parties applauded the meeting, while holding to their positions on the health care legislation.
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