Harry Reid: Public Option "the Fairest Way to Go"

(CBS)

Updated at 5:45 p.m. ET with more information.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today he is including in the Senate's health care bill a government-run health insurance plan, or "public option," from which states could opt out.

"I think it's the fairest way to go," Reid said in a press conference. "A public option can achieve the goal of bringing meaningful reform to our broken system."

Reid is submitting to the Congressional Budget Office a number of different variations on health care legislation that bring together different elements of the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee's bill. Whichever version is chosen, however, will have the public option, Reid said.

As to whether a bill with a public option could win the 60 votes necessary to overcome a Republican filibuster, Reid said that as soon as the CBO provides a cost estimate, "we clearly will have the support of my caucus to move this bill and start legislating."

"I feel good about the consensus that was reached within our caucus and with the White House," Reid said. "And we're all optimistic about reform because of the unprecedented momentum that now exists."

Reid said he concluded a public option with an opt-out provision was the best way to move forward with the support of the White House. Reports that President Obama had expressed preference for a more moderate plan had some liberal groups up in arms over the weekend. Reid, who faces a tough re-election campaign next year, had also been under considerable pressure to include the public option in the bill.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement that Mr. Obama is pleased with today's progress.

"He's also pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out," Gibbs said. "As he said to Congress and the nation in September, he supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition."

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States will have until 2014 to opt out of the national public program. The bill will also include a proposal from the Senate Finance Committee to establish nonprofit cooperatives to manage health insurance, Reid said.

The senator acknowledged the inclusion of a public option would mean the bill would lose the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the one Republican who may have supported the Democrats' plans.

"There will come a time, I hope, where she sees the wisdom of supporting a health care bill after having an opportunity ... to offer amendments," he said.

"I am deeply disappointed with the Majority Leader's decision to include a public option as the focus of the legislation," Snowe said in a statement today. "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."

Reid said Republicans were "making a big mistake" in choosing to not help Democrats pass legislation that is "important to the American people." He said said he will continue to look for their support on health care reform and other issues.

"I'm always looking for Republicans... it's just a little hard to find them," Reid said. "When I came here to the Senate we had a lot of moderate Republicans... But, of course, now, the moderates are extremely limited. I could count them on two fingers."

[hungry1968-16]

by jsd330 October 27, 2009 9:42 AM EDT
You will notice CBS didn't run the AP story about what the insurance companies profits were. I found it on MSNBC and in my local small newspaper, even the 2 major newspapers in my area failed to print it. I guess because the Dems and Obama were lying about insurance profits.






If true, then please explain why the medical care ratio is 82%, instead of 98%.

[BeckieBest]

The U.S. spends double what any other nation on the planet does and yet we rank near the bottom of the list in quality of care!

It's time we ignore the right wing nuts who want to continue to pay more and get less.

We need serious health care reform now.

We need a public OPTION!

[lightningF]

Health Insurance companies make a whole 2.2 % profit, according to the fortune 500 and lists 35th out of the 53 top companies,and the Democrats want to vilify them so the government can CONTROL your Health Care. We buy car,life, and house insurance nation wide,why not health insurance?And why not tort reform also to reduce costs to us and the doctors? OH ! I forgot that would eliminate the need for government CONTROL.

[jsd330]

You will notice CBS didn't run the AP story about what the insurance companies profits were. I found it on MSNBC and in my local small newspaper, even the 2 major newspapers in my area failed to print it. I guess because the Dems and Obama were lying about insurance profits.

[hungry1968-16]

You can keep posting this nonsense ad nauseum - everyone knows the truth:

The insurance companies not only have their daily operating expenses, but they pay their CEO's and other executives hundreds of millions of dollars, they buy corporate jets and limo's, they pay lobbyists and politicians tens of millions of dollars, they spend hundreds of millions in advertising, and what's left over after all of that, is "profit".

And it's that "profit margin" that they pay their investors on - NOT on actual revenue earned.

Don't expect me to cry the blues for an industry that spends so much of it's money lobbying and bribing politicians, and has a reduced "profit margin" as a result.

[stopoil]

Having lived in several countries such as Canada, England and France and now the USA, I am astounded by the debate and lies in the USA about health care in other countries. Their costs are a lot lower and everyone is fully covered. Do you want to be able to see a doctor or go to a walk-in clinic anytime you want? Do you want treatment even if it is a pre existing condition or become seriously ill? Do you want to be able to take your children to see a doctor or a hospital anytime for any ailment whether for a fever or broken arm and get looked after? Do you want all of this and never have to worry about being asked to pay to get the medical attention you or your family need? If the Canadian, English, French.... systems were so bad don't you think those citizens would be fighting for change? They love it. No citizens or countries go bankrupt because of health costs. This health care is just part of what other Western countries have and they are just as democratic and capitalistic as America. This is not socialism any more than having the government pay for roads, education and defense. This is putting the lives of Americans above the greed of the insurance companies. To oppose a public option is the same mind set of those who accept spending hundreds of billions a year to foreign countries for oil but see it as wrong to spend hundreds of billions to save American lives. Why should American's have anything less than what citizens have in other countries? The public option is a minimum.

[lightningF]

Resinding the insurance companies anti-trust will not drive down costs.The Insurance companies make around 2.2% to 4% in profit(just check the fortune 500),not the Billions on Billions the Democrats are lying about. Buying insurance across state lines will reduce costs,and having loser pays tort reform will reduce insurance costs for us and the Doctors. We buy car insurance,life insurance,house insurance,all nation wide so why not health insurance? They want CONTROL,not cheaper health care.

[bubbadubba]

I agree with others.
It was being reported and the right wing radio liars were gloating that health insurance reform was dead.
It seems all the media does is lie to promote the agenda of the wealthy who own them.
A report just released by PEW says 63% of Americans say the news media does not tell the truth.
Kind of makes Obama's "horrible worst in history" approval rating of 50% hyped by the media look pretty good doesn't it.
I don't believe that one either.
MEDIA = PROPAGANDA AND LIARS just like in Nazi Germany.

[endurorob_5]

sjc_1 October 27, 2009 7:23 AM EDT
Who is stupid enough to think the for profit greed monger corporations have their best interests are heart?


Who is stupid enough to think government beuracrats have your best interest at heart?

[jimmyc1955]

You want to know how the Senate is paying for the "public" option - they are cutting Medicare payments by 21%. That means doctors all over the country will stop seeing people over 65 because they LOOSE money every time they do.

So that is what your Senate isn't telling you. They are robbing Peter to pay for some "public option" that is undefined, unfunded and under projected. As usual politicians think the best way to fund an unknown is to bleed a working program until it can no longer function and then when it finally fails after they have bleed it to death and claimed it would never have worked in the first place.

Watch for this tactic on Social Security in the very near future.

[endurorob_5]

The public option means more control from the government. Who is stupid enough to think the gevernment can effectivley run health care.

[sjc_1]

Who is stupid enough to think the for profit greed monger corporations have their best interests are heart?

[lightningF]

This is correct the government does not want the health insurance companies to compete across state lines,nor do they want Tort reform,that would eliminate having government control. We have Social Security,Medicare/Medicaid and the government can not effectively run these,why would we believe they could run another one with even more cost? Health care companies make 2.3 to 4% profit not the billions the Democrats are lying about,just check the fortune 500 companies.

[imprisoncheney]

Uhhhhh-ohhhhhh. Gee, what happened to the MSM's storyline that the PO was dead? This wasn't the way it was supposed to work out.

Look, people -- the MSM decides what is going to happen, and it happens, see? So, everybody just forget about a PO cuz it's not really true if the MSM says so.

That's they way "news" is reported over at Fauxnewz and that's who the fourth estate takes their cues from -- got it?

Funny to watch Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch having to defend their former enemies -- you can't buy entertainment like this.

[endurorob_5]

They still won't get the needed votes with a public option. The conservative dems will be committing political suicide if they vote for it.