Obama offers help on insurance problems
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he’ll do everything he can to help people coping with health-insurance cancellations, but legally and practically his options appear limited.
That means the latest political problem engulfing Obama’s health-care overhaul may not be resolved quickly, cleanly or completely.
White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that the president has asked his team to look at administrative fixes to help people whose plans are being canceled as a result of new federal coverage rules. Obama,
in an NBC interview Thursday, said “I am sorry” to people who are losing coverage and had relied on his assurances that if they liked their plan, they could keep it.
The focus appears to be on easing the impact for a specific group: people whose policies have been canceled and who don’t qualify for tax credits to offset higher premiums. The administration has not settled on a particular fix and it’s possible the final decision would apply to a broader group.
Kerry pushing to get agreement with Iran
GENEVA – With a boost from Russia and China, Secretary of State John Kerry mounted a major diplomatic push Friday to reach an interim nuclear deal with Iran, despite fierce opposition from Israel and uncertainty in Congress.
Kerry and his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany arrived in Geneva with the talks at a critical stage after a full day of negotiations Thursday and said some obstacles remained in the way of any agreement offering sanctions reductions for nuclear concessions.
Word that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and a Chinese deputy foreign minister also were headed to the talks provided fresh hope for at least an interim deal, perhaps on Saturday.
Associated Press
