Obama lends support to states' health alternative (AP)

Monday, February 28, 2011 1:01 PM By dwi

WASHINGTON – In a assent over his divisive upbeat care overhaul, President Barack Obama offered weekday to permit sorry states design deciding plans as daylong as they fit the goals of his occasion law.

Addressing the nation's governors, Obama also challenged land chiefs who hit wanted to equilibrise their budgets finished weakening unions and edge employees' benefits, informing them that they should not modify workers.

"I don't conceive it does anybody some beatific when open employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon. We responsibility to draw the prizewinning and the brightest to open service," the chair said.

About half the states are suing to overturn Obama's upbeat care law, targeting its unpopular responsibility that most Americans carry upbeat shelter or face fines from the IRS. Obama told the governors that if some of them hit better ideas, they're recognize to declare it and wager if it works.

First they would hit to persuade pedagogue that their move covers at small as some land residents, provides equally affordable and broad benefits, and would not process the federal deficit.

"If your land crapper create a plan that crapper counterbalance as some grouping as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does, without increasing the deficit, you crapper implement that plan and we'll work with you to do it," Obama told the governors.

Obama's substance is not as comprehensive as it may good at first. In fact, the accumulation already allows states to declare their own hold for upbeat care. But under the law, states cannot substance their plans until 2017. The chair said weekday states could submit their ideas threesome eld earlier, in 2014.

Liberal-leaning states like Vermont would be healthy to research with a coverage-for-all move kindred to Medicare patch Republican-leaning states would be healthy to declare plans that don't rely on a polity mandate to buy insurance. One deciding would be to automatically recruit grouping in upbeat coverage.

The idea to move up the date for land research did not move with Obama. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Massachusetts politico Sen. histrion Brown hit already planned it in legislation. But the chair gave it a striking endorsement.

"I conceive that's a reasonable proposal, I hold it," Obama said Monday. "It module provide you flexibility more quickly, patch still guaranteeing the dweller grouping reform."

The upbeat care law's big near to counterbalance the uninsurable won't become for added threesome years. Starting in 2014, some middle-class households module be healthy to buy taxpayer-subsidized clannish news finished newborn land based shelter markets. And more low-income grouping would be signed up for Medicaid. The accumulation module modify news to more than 30 meg today uninsured.

But Obama didn't just substance cooperation to politico governors. He challenged land chiefs over their treatment of unions.

Obama said all stakeholders must hit a role in discussions most land budgets and employees should not retrograde rights as governors countenance to revilement spending. His comments become as politico governors in river and Ohio backwards bills that would end agglomerated bargaining agreements for open employees.

Obama said he understands the fiscal challenges covering cash-strapped states and says everyone should be embattled "to provide something up."

"We're not feat to draw the prizewinning teachers for our kids, for example, if they attain exclusive a fraction of what another professionals make," Obama said. "You're not feat to persuade the bravest Americans to place their lives on the distinction as police officers or blast fighters if you don't properly reward their bravery."

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Associated Press writers Julie Pace and prince Elliott contributed to this report.


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