Reid to Include Public Option in Senate Health Care Bill

(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon will announce his decision to include a government-run health care plan, or "public option," in the health care bill he brings to the floor, CBS News has learned.

Reid is scheduled to discuss his plans for the bill at a 3:15 p.m. ET press conference on Capitol Hill. He is expected to say he will go forward with a public option that will allow states to opt out of the program. However, he is also expected to say it is unclear whether or not he has 60 votes to move forward with the plan.

The bill will be sent to the Congressional Budget Office later today to get a cost estimate for it.

Reid has been under considerable pressure from liberal activists and legislators to include a public option in the bill.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) told reporters Monday that he thinks it will be hard for Reid to get 60 votes for a public option plan in which states can opt out, the Associated Press reports. At least four key senators seem opposed, Nelson said while traveling with President Obama on Air Force One to Florida.

If an opt-out plan passes, he reportedly said, he hopes states would not be able to exercise the opt-out for at least two years. Otherwise, Nelson said, the powerful insurance lobby "will convince state legislatures to opt out at the very beginning," before a public option plan has had a chance to prove its worth.

CBS News Capitol Hill Producer John Nolen contributed to this report.

[FreeIgnorance]

health care reform? is it really better?? http://www.typobounty.com/Funny/Health_Care_Reform.htm

[hungry1968-16]

by vinnyb5 October 26, 2009 4:15 PM EDT
Yes and all those other countries are looking to privatize somehow. Their governments are going BROKE trying to pay for their healthcare systems, even with the MASSIVE taxes they already have.

If you want cost do go down allow insurance companies to compete in all 50 states. I bet most of the people on this board don't even know that each state just has a handful of incurance companies allowed to provide insurance.







More lies. Please prove your claim that governments are going broke, because of the cost of health care, on their universal system(s).

And allowing states to compete across state lines, is only going to create 2 or 3 massive insurance companies that will be "too big to fail". Haven't you learned ANYTHING from history?!?!

[hungry1968-16]

by Constitionalist October 26, 2009 3:59 PM EDT
How much is wasted on lawyers? The liberal tort reform plan: Government takes control of healthcare: government cannot be sued: thus no more need for malpractice insurance: thus no more bleeding money to lawyers: thus no incentive for physicians to be skilled at what they do (think DMV).






The government isn't taking over health care, dummy.

If your doctor makes a mistake, he can be sued for malpractice.

[hungry1968-16]

by Marc_1986 October 26, 2009 4:10 PM EDT
@troutfishyman

Keep in mind here, the Public Option won't even go into effect until 2013 I believe? So sure the cost is being spread out over 10 years, but you'll have about 4 years of debt bring put 'on the books' with no benefit initially.

The chickenfeed argument is valid, but a bad way to justify things. Waste is waste. Debt is debt, no matter what the quantity is.







Why are you calling it waste? You don't think our health care system needs a desperate overhaul?

[hungry1968-16]

by jimmyc1955 October 26, 2009 3:23 PM EDT
Dude - Do you really believe that your tax bill won't double to pay for the "single payer" system? Do you realize that the base income tax in Canada is 50% and worse in the UK? Do you realize that the UK's national health can't afford to build new hospitals and hasn't built a new facility in over 40 years???






I guess you've now resigned yourself to lying, in an effort to give yourself some credibility. How sad for you. These wildly absurd claims of yours, are VERY EASILY fact checked and debunked:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_taxes_in_Canada#Personal_federal_marginal_tax_rates


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_England

[hungry1968-16]

by jimmyc1955 October 26, 2009 3:16 PM EDT
Can anybody actually explain what the "public option" is? Do you realize the new bill taxes things like pace makers, walkers, prosthetic limbs? Do you realize that the averagle American will likely loose their private insurance as companies quickly realize it is cheaper to pay the fine and push every employee over to the federal "public option"?







Do you realize that people are losing their private insurance everyday because it's so expensive, and have NOTHING to fall back on?

[jwesel1]

by jimmyc1955 October 26, 2009 3:16 PM EDT
Can anybody actually explain what the "public option" is? Do you realize the new bill taxes things like pace makers, walkers, prosthetic limbs?
========================================================================
Don't believe everything you read on Sarah Palin's facebook page.

[hungry1968-16]

by jimmyc1955 October 26, 2009 3:11 PM EDT
There is no "reform" in this bill - and the public option isn't an option. this is a massive tax hike for everybody - with no cost controls, not incentive on anybodys part to control costs and a clear path to a singly payer government system just like Canada and the UK where health care is rationed. (I call 15 week to 100 week waits for MRIs and Cat Scans rationing.)






What do you call "denied health care after paying premiums for decades"?

Is that rationing on the part of the insurance companies, or fraud?

[lovenpeace1]

Folks,

This is what American's get for $3.6 Trillions a year from our current Private Health Care system:

America ranks #42 worst in Infant Mortality Rate in the modern world:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html

America ranks #47 in Life Expectancy Rate in the modern world:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html

America got the #1 Highest Healthcare Cost (over twice (2X) 2nd place Sweden) in the modern world:
http://dll.umaine.ed/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf

When you are ill or injured and especially in an emergency, nobody shops around for the clinic or hospital with the best value care. Hence, there cannot be Competition in Health Care.

62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. every day are due to medical cost issues.

All Foreign Capitalists (companies) have a Huge Competition Advantage against all American's Capitalists because they never pay Private Health Insurance for their employees.

All Seniors are very happy with their Socialized HealthCare (Medicare). Sooner or later you will be a Senior. All low-income Children are happy with their Socialized HealthCare (CHIP). All Military Veterans are very happy with their Socialized Health Care. All Federal workers are very happy with their Socialized Health Care. All congressmen and congresswomen are very happy with their Socialized Health Care. Republicans say they want the same deal that our congressmen/women have!

Americans are paying $6,000.00 more per year (2x) per person with worst ranking results than the next most costly nation Sweden. Sweden is a very Socialistic nation.

What good is it to have the most Advanced/High-Tech Innovated Health Care in the world if nobody can afford and access it?

[reveal4]

Only in America can a person go to a health insurance company and be denied care because they need medical care. The insurance companies don't insure sick people or those who need medical care. They say.."You have a pre existing condition and need medical care...therefore we can't grant you access to medical care. You're sick and need medical care, therefore we deny medical care to you..That's the way we do business. We don't insure sick people. What were you thinking? This is America, we don't sell health insurance to sick folks or people who need medical care. Be on your way now, have a nice day...Next...

[jwesel1]

Insurance companies are like banks "To get a loan you need to prove that you don't need one".

[vinnyb5]

Don't you see the trick here. Don't let states opt-out until people have ALREADY been on the government program. They know full well that it will be practically impossible to opt-out once the free handouts begin.

They also fail to mention that state legislatures will be required to pass a law to opt-out (just like the stimulus). Thas is another hurdle making it practically impossible. Democrat Governors or legislatures will never opt-out. They love passing out free government programs, feeling it keeps them in power.

I think the real compromise is a "opt-in" provision. Make people go "on the record" to spend taxpayer money.

[reveal4]

Free handouts...this is what the Medicare senior club says...while they receive an average 270% return on their Medicare investment. The average taxpayer will see a reduction in health and medical costs if reform passes. The 5% of Americans who own 95% of the total wealth of America may lose some of their Bush tax cut. The CBO said the Baucus bill is paid for, and reduces the federal deficit by 81 billion dollars in the first ten years, and reduces the federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars in the second ten years. The addition of the public health insurance option will further reduce costs, by up to 100 billion dollars. Those who talk about a free lunch, and oppose medical care for poorer, uninsured, and small businesses also oppose cost reductions for average Americans. And about those poorer and uninsured folks and the folks who for profit insurance companies will not cover...they are dying, one every 12 minutes, in America. Most people do care about these folks. Compassion and empathy is held for these poorer dying Americans by the majority of the American public.

[jwesel1]

Either give free handouts to people like the governments or to the lobbyists like the Insurance companies do.