This just in from the WSJ:
President Barack Obama, in a high-stakes speech Wednesday to Congress and the nation, will press for a government-run insurance option in a proposed overhaul of the U.S. health care system that has divided lawmakers and voters for months.Robert Gibbs answers public option questions from the press today. Obama will give new specifics Gibbs says:
White House officials say the president will detail what he wants in the health-care overhaul, as well as say he is open to better ideas on a government plan if lawmakers have them.
Democratic plans call for requiring most Americans to have health insurance. Failure to comply could cost families as much as $3,800 a year, according to a Senate proposal.
The president is likely to make clear that a government-run insurance plan, known as the "public option," will not provide a level of subsidies that give it an unfair advantage over private insurers, according to aides familiar with the speech preparations. WSJ