Obama backs health insurance mandate, with waivers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he now supports a requirement that all Americans have health insurance, as long as there are hardship waivers.

"I'm now in favor of some sort of individual mandate as long as there's a hardship exemption," Obama said in an interview on the CBS Evening News, saying he had changed his mind since his statements during the presidential campaign opposing a mandate.