President Praises Senate for Making ‘Critical Progress’

ABC News’ Yunji de Nies reports: The president today praised the Senate for making “critical progress” on the health care debate last night, saying he believes the new framework “will help pave the way for final passage and an historic achievement on behalf of the American people. I support this effort.” The Senate has yet to reveal specifics on what that “critical progress” entails, though it would eliminate the public option, which has long been one of the President’s major stated goals.  Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if the president would have preferred the public option to the new compromise, Gibbs smiled. “You know, I — you're asking me if the president would rather have won the lottery.  It's an interesting hypothetical,” Gibbs said. “We’re making progress.  The president supports this process as a — in terms of both good policy and as a way of moving that process forward.” Mr. Obama’s public proclamation of support came at an event where the president pledged $600 million in Recovery Act Awards to build and renovate community health centers around the country. “Health care isn't just about diagnosing patients and treating illness — it's about caring for people and promoting wellness.  It's about emphasizing education and prevention, and helping people lead healthier lives so they don't get sick in the first place,” the President said, “And it works.  Studies show that people living near a health center are less likely to go to the emergency room and less likely to have unmet critical medical needs.” The $600 million will fund construction, technology and medical home demonstration. The White House says the initiative will not only serve more than 500,000 additional patients by providing access to primary and preventative health care, but also create jobs in low-income communities.  This initiative follows a similar measure that the First Lady unveiled in June, which  dedicated $851 million in Recovery Act dollars toward upgrading and expanding more than 1,500 clinics around the country.