HHS secretary to press lawmakers on health care

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told lawmakers Wednesday that President Barack Obama is willing to listen to suggestions on how to pay for a health care overhaul, as long as they don't increase the deficit.

"The president is open to good ideas about how we finance health reform," she said in testimony prepared for delivery to a House committee. "But we are not open to deficit spending."

Sebelius' appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee comes as congressional Democrats struggle with the $1 trillion-plus price tag for extending health coverage to 50 million uninsured Americans over 10 years.

Obama's policies, including a stimulus package earlier this year designed to jump-start the economy, have added to the federal budget deficit, stirring public restiveness that could undermine his domestic agenda. About $1.3 trillion when Obama took office, this year's deficit is on track to soar to a record $1.85 trillion after his massive influx of federal spending to help struggling homeowners, stabilize frozen credit markets and bail out troubled banks, automakers and insurers.

Although lawmakers are considering an option Obama has opposed — taxing employer-provided benefits — Sebelius' testimony indicates that the administration is ready to be flexible if Congress can deliver a bill.

That has seemed uncertain, as cost concerns and partisan disputes have stalled progress. Sebelius used her testimony to encourage Democratic efforts — and to make clear that Obama expects lawmakers to deliver.

"Health reform constitutes our most important domestic priority," she said.

In an interview with ABC News that aired Wednesday, Obama declined to say whether he was open to taxing health benefits. But he indicated there was a breaking point in the balance sheets where he would say that the cost of reforming the system is too great for the federal government to handle.

"I'm going to wait and see what ideas ultimately they (Congress) come up with," he said.

"I think that if any reform that we get is not driving down costs in a serious way," Obama added. "If people say, 'We're just going to add more people onto a hugely inefficient system,' then I will say no. Because ... we can't afford it."

Obama also said in the broadcast interview that his position on many elements of health care overhaul has "evolved" over time.