Facing questions on cost, Obama defends push for health care overhaul

Obama defends health care plan amid cost questions

BELGRADE, Mont. — At a town hall style meeting, a Montana man bluntly challenged President Barack Obama’s contention that he can overhaul health care without raising Americans’ taxes to pay for it.

The questioner at Friday’s meeting said Obama couldn’t tell voters how he would pay for his top domestic priority and insisted the only way the president could cover the cost is by raising taxes. Plans in Congress would cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years.

Obama agreed that he couldn’t cover another 46 million people for free. But he told the man there are steps that he would take, including eliminating subsidies to insurance companies. Obama said instead the subsidies would go to low-income Americans to help them buy insurance.

Obama also reiterated his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on Americans making $250,000 or less.