Gibbs: Public option just 1 way to achieve goal of health insurance for millions without it

Gibbs: Public option 1 way to meet coverage goal

WASHINGTON — White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says it’s not true that a health care overhaul will affect people who already have insurance.

He says President Barack Obama is determined that health care legislation provides Americans with a choice of insurers and competition for the companies that now dominate the market.

Gibbs says a government-run “public option” is one way to provide coverage to the estimated 45 million Americans who are uninsured, but it’s not the only way to reach that goal.

Gibbs spoke Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”