Home SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Democrats, Republicans rally

Democrats, Republicans rally

WASHINGTON – As Democrats prepare to take up health care legislation on the floor of the Senate and the House, they are facing tough choices about two competing priorities.

SUSAN WALSH/The Associated Press SUSAN WALSH/The Associated Press President Barack Obama urges 150 doctors, all in lab coats, to push for a health care overhaul during a pep rally at the White House. Republicans countered with comments from several doctors in Congress opposed to Obama's plans. They want people to pay affordable prices for health insurance policies, but they want those policies to offer comprehensive health benefits. These goals collide in the bills moving through Congress. The different versions of the legislation would all require insurance companies to provide coverage more generous than many policies sold in the individual market today. That is good for consumers, Democrats say. But Republicans say the new requirements would mean added costs for some consumers and for the government, which would help pay premiums for millions of low- and middle-income people. Both sides in the debate are rallying their supporters. On Monday, 150 doctors, all wearing their white coats, attended a pep rally with President Barack Obama at the White House. House Republicans countered with comments from several doctors in Congress to illustrate their opposition to Obama's plans. But the tension between keeping costs low and improving coverage is just one of many challenges facing Congress and the Obama administration as they head toward the final stages of the effort to pass health care legislation.