Obama on Health Care Reform: "Every Voice Has to Be Heard"

Perhaps responding to criticism that some voices have been omitted from debates regarding health care, President Obama has strongly stated that the reform process must include input from all sides of the issue, except from those who prefer no reform at all:

Still, the unanimity on the urgency to act underscored how the political environment has become more favorable to revamping the thorny system since President Bill Clinton's attempt failed in the 1990s under intense resistance from drug makers, insurance companies and others. All those interest groups were on hand Thursday, and Obama intended his daylong Washington session and a series of meetings to follow around the country to signal that his push for universal health care coverage will be more open and inclusive than Clinton's.

"Every voice has to be heard. Every idea must be considered. . .The status quo is the one option that is not on the table," Obama said during the White House forum on what he calls the greatest threat to the U.S. economy — rising health care costs. Mindful of the demise of the Clinton plan, Obama warned, "Those who seek to block any reform at all, any reform at any cost, will not prevail this time around."

I suspect that Obama is responding to progressive criticism. If so, thank you.