10-27-09 Senator Reid announces opt-out public option
Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid announced that the health care meetings had produced the final version of the bill that will go to the Senate floor for a vote. This bill contains a public option, a government-run and government-funded health insurance plan, but also gives states the ability to opt out of the program.
At a press conference, Senator Reid was asked several times if he thought he had the 60 votes needed to pass the new bill with the public option, but he would only say that he had the support of his caucus. Whether that caucus will include all 57 Senate Democrats remains to be seen. (The bill would need 60 votes to avoid a Republican filibuster.)
Senator Tom Harkin has estimated that there are around 52 Democratic votes in favor of the bill, and five opposed. Back in July, the Senate Finance committee voted down two amendments that would have added a public option to an earlier version of its bill. Senators Max Baccus, Kent Conrad, and Blanche Lincoln voted against the amendments.
Senator Olympia Snowe, the only Republican to come out in support of the Finance committee’s health care bill, has reportedly withdrawn her support. In a statement on her Web site, Snowe writes, “I am deeply disappointed with the Majority Leader’s decision to include a public option as the focus of the legislation. I still believe that a fallback, safety net plan, to be triggered and available immediately in states where insurance companies fail to offer plans that meet the standards of affordability, could have been the road toward achieving a broader bipartisan consensus in the Senate.”
The public plan would begin in 2013, and states would have one year to decide if they wanted to opt out. The federal government would negotiate payment rates with health care providers. The public plan would be open to people without employer-sponsored insurance, and small businesses. Most Americans, including people who can buy insurance through their employers, would not be eligible. The bill also includes public-private co-ops.
If the bill does pass the Senate, it would still have to be merged with the House bill to create a final bill to send to the President’s desk for signing. The House also includes a public option. The White House has already released a statement saying that Obama was pleased that a version of the public option had been included in the Senate’s bill.
Sources:
Wall Street Journal – Reid Says Senate Bill Will Have Public Plan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125658273270408669.html
Statement from Senator Olympia Snowe
Los AngelesTimes – Senate to add ‘public option’ to healthcare bill
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare-reid27-2009oct27,0,7425185.story
Public Option Push in Senate Comes With Escape Hatch
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/policy/27health.html?_r=3&hp
Senate healthcare bill revives public option. But can it pass?
