"PHOENIX. The White House, facing increasing skepticism over President Obama's call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector, signaled Sunday that it was willing to compromise and would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative being developed in the Senate.

"The public option, a new government insurance program akin to Medicare, has been a central component of Mr. Obama's agenda for overhauling the health care system, but it has also emerged as a flashpoint for anger and opposition. Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, said the public option was not the essential element for reform and raised the idea of the co-op during an interview on CNN."

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