USA Today: 360-Degree Health Care Forum Has Rousing Start

From USA Today: President Obama kicked off the first serious effort to overhaul the nation's health care system in 15 years Thursday with a pledge to include Republicans and consider opposing views — and a vow to get it done this year.

In a White House session that brought disparate factions together, Obama elicited promises of cooperation from lawmakers and stakeholders who in the past have been at loggerheads over how to fix the system. He and others emphasized areas of agreement and said they would work amicably on their differences.

At the same time, participants in the half-day forum, which included five "breakout" sessions, acknowledged that sticky issues remain to be worked out. Among the toughest: how to pay for the overhaul, how to bring down costs, whether health insurance should be mandated and whether the government should compete with private plans.

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