Obama's healthcare message confuses some

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has yet to show how specific constituencies, such as the elderly, would benefit from his health plan, some Democrats say.

Instead, Obama's is using abstract rationales for reform that leave people confused, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

For example, Obama and his team have argued a revamped healthcare system would spur economic recovery and reduce rising deficits when he should be making his case in personal terms, said Chris Jennings, a senior healthcare adviser in the Clinton administration.

"They have not excelled in that area," Jennings and other Democrats told the Times.

The White House also has sent mixed signals about the importance of a government-run program that would serve as an alternative to private health insurance, said Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman.

"They're not all saying the same thing, and that's one of the problems," Dean said.