Industry reps offer $2 trillion in health savings

Willingness to help find the money
But the industry offer shows a willingness to help find the money. That's far different from the situation in the 1990s, when insurers and other key groups successfully opposed the Clinton administration's plan to cover all Americans.

"This is intended to get all the groups to share responsibility about bending the cost growth curve downward," said Ron Pollack, president of Families USA, a liberal group that advocates for expanding coverage. Pollack said he was aware of intense negotiation in the last few weeks between the groups and the administration, but not the specifics.

The AP source said the groups include America's Health Insurance Plans, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the Service Employees International Union.

The insurance industry group has said previously that it was working on a plan to "bend the cost curve" by shaving a small percentage a year from annual increases that now run far ahead of general inflation.

"It's still going to cost more each year, but hopefully not as much as has been projected," said John Rother, a top health policy strategist for AARP, the seniors' lobby.

Detailed version coming from Congress
Obama's health care plan not a detailed legislative proposal, but a set of goals. Obama is going to rely on Congress to write the detailed version. The president wants to build on the current system, in which employers, government and individuals share the responsibility of paying for coverage. Most Americans would still have private insurance, but the government would play an even bigger role than it does now, by subsidizing premiums for some middle-class families and by setting national consumer protections.

People working for big companies would probably not see big changes in how they get health insurance. But self-employed people and those working for small businesses would be able to get their coverage through a new kind of insurance purchasing pool, called an "exchange." Plans in the exchange would have to follow new consumer protection rules. For example, they could not deny a person coverage because of existing health problems. And they would not be able to charge sick people more.

Lawmakers in Congress are generally following the Obama outlines, with some exceptions. In the Senate, for example, the plan is likely to include a requirement that all Americans carry health insurance, much as states now require motorists to carry auto coverage. Obama had proposed to require parents to get their kids covered, but said a mandate for all would not be affordable for many individuals and families.

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