White House: Health care session with bipartisan group of senators not a negotiation

White House: Health care meeting not a negotiation

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama’s meeting with a bipartisan group of senators on health care reform wasn’t a “negotiating session” but simply a chance for him to get an update.

Obama met Thursday with six members from the Finance Committee: Max Baucus of Montana, and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Mike Enzi of Wyoming. Baucus, Conrad and Bingaman are Democrats and Grassley, Snowe and Enzi are Republicans.

Four of five congressional committees have completed work on health care legislation. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, “The president’s message to them is to continue to work and find consensus.”