

The News Hub panel discusses whether a bipartisan health-care summit can get work, if both sides are under pressure to play to cameras.




Such a move would disappoint many Democrats, including Mr. Obama. They have worked for more than a year to pass comprehensive legislation like the plan the president unveiled Monday, which would cover the bulk of the 46 million uninsured people in the U.S., set new rules for health insurers and try to control spiraling health-care costs.

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Health Overhaul in Congress

Liberal Democrats in particular would be dismayed by any ratcheting back of ambitions. But more-conservative Democrats nervous about the fall elections could be more comfortable with a scaled-back measure.

The ideas in the White House's fallback plan are in tune with earlier incremental Democratic efforts. In the 1980s, Democrats expanded eligibility for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for the poor. In 1997, after failing to pass President Bill Clinton's comprehensive package, Congress created the Children's Health Insurance Program, for children in working poor families. Last year, Mr. Obama signed into law a bill expanding that program to encompass four million more kids.

The larger Obama health plan has been in jeopardy since last month, when Democrats lost a Senate seat from Massachusetts and with it their filibuster-proof majority in the chamber. With many congressional Democrats spooked, the White House considered more-modest measures that would be easier to pass.

As he was weighing his choices, Mr. Obama asked his staff to show him what a more modest policy might look like, and the plan to cover about 15 million people was the most promising, a senior White House official said. "He wanted people to look at what effect you could have on the overall problem if you have to go smaller," the official said.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel didn't devise the smaller policy, the official said. But Mr. Emanuel argued that it wasn't feasible to pass a comprehensive bill and counseled a lesser version, according to several people familiar with the conversations. Others argued that Democrats were going to take a political hit by voting for a health-care bill no matter what, and they should opt for a sweeping measure whose benefits would be easier to highlight.

Another argument made by those pushing for major change: Why run for office if not to address big problems such as health care?

Mr. Obama decided to renew his push for a comprehensive bill, and Thursday's televised summit was designed to lay the groundwork for that approach.

Summit Viewing Guide

  • Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. with break for buffet lunch.
  • Place: Blair House, across the street from the White House

Key Attendees

Obama administration:

  • President Barack Obama
  • Vice President Joe Biden
  • Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Congressional Democrats:

  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
  • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
  • Leaders of key committees related to health

Congressional Republicans:

  • Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
  • House Minority Whip Eric Cantor
  • Ranking members of key committees.


  • Opening comments from the president, followed by remarks from both Republicans and Democrats.
  • The discussion will center on four themes: controlling health-care costs, reforming the insurance market, reducing the deficit and expanding insurance coverage.
  • Participants will be seated at tables in a hollow square set-up.

Republicans have long argued that smaller steps are better. "I hope that we can convince the president that we [should] go back to the beginning, and go step by step," said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.).

Mr. Obama has said he believes many Americans turned against the bill because they were put off by the messy and often opaque legislative process. Aides hope that when he lays out the substance of his proposal Thursday in a bipartisan televised forum, he will win back support and give lawmakers the confidence they need to push the measure over the finish line.

In a preview, the president defended the legislation in a speech Wednesday to the Business Roundtable. He described the measure in detail, and said he looked forward to the summit on Thursday .

"I hope everyone comes with a shared desire to solve this challenge, not just score political points," Mr. Obama said.

Republicans will have a chance to present their ideas at the summit, but they suspect scoring political points is mostly what the session is about. They say they want to start from scratch, something the White House has rejected.

In another incremental move, the House approved a small slice of its legislation Thursday, repealing the health-insurance industry's 64-year-old federal antitrust exemption. The 406-19 vote came after several major industry players announced premium increases. Advocates of the bill argued the measure would promote greater competition in the marketplace and ultimately benefit consumers. Insurers say they already face heavy regulation and have played down the significance of the change.

A similar measure wasn't included in the Senate bill, and the chances of the stand-alone bill becoming law are uncertain.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) said the legislation reflects a determination by party leaders to "look for pieces that can be moved independently," even as efforts continue to advance a comprehensive overhaul. "We will look at others," he said.

—Greg Hitt and Janet Adamy contributed to this article.

Write to Laura Meckler at