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Tide Turning toward Public Option
Published by Pamela Gentry on Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:13 am.
By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst
Oct. 23, 2009 –The public option is starting to look good to the American public and to lawmakers burning the midnight oil working on health care reform legislation. It looks like late night talks could bring the White House and senior Senate Democrats closer together on how to reform health care that includes a government run insurance program.
Thursday night’s meeting ended with talk of health care legislation that would strongly consider a requirement for the federal government to compete directly with private industry in the sale of insurance.
This is exactly what Black lawmakers have wanted from the beginning and something President Obama said he “strongly supported” but wouldn’t require. Following the summer town hall meetings were folks railed against the plan, the alternative proposed co-op by some Senate conservatives and flexibility of the presidents’ stand on the issue made it difficult to secure congressional support.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked Thursday about the possibility of a “state-based” public option gaining support. Gibbs wouldn’t commit, “Obviously we’ll continue to evaluate proposals as they come down the pike that are involved in the merged legislation as we go forward.”
But if individual states decided to “opt-out” that would create another set of circumstances – but it appears to be one of the options being discussed.
But the first glimmer of hope for the public option came from Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson, (Neb) and Kent Conrad,(N.D)., when they told reporters they had heard private negotiations were considering the plan.
In recent weeks support for the public option has increased. The Congressional Budget Office gave it a better score than the suggested co-operative plan and five of the proposed health care bills in the House and Senate committee have a public option.
Opponents contend an affordable public option would drive private insurers out of business and be the first steps toward a government run health care system. However supporters of the public options say if the insurance companies offer fair market prices there business will grow with an additional 40 million Americans entering the market place.
The president should put his full force behind the public option – the tide is turning and he should grab onto the wave.
The Poll used in this article to indicate rising support for a public option is mis leading . In fact, the same poll reworded that indicates a “government run” health plan has in fact been losing support significantly!
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The latest poll shows a 55% to 42% disaproval of any government run program and furthermore, the public favors by a whopping 66% to 34% a competitve private option over the public option(ie: allowing Private Insurers to compete over State Lines)
Public Option , Shall Be ! Power To The People , Peace & Blessings !
@Plantation……
Public Option = Power to the Government
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There; I fixed it for you
This headline is a complete Lie!
There is no support for a public option except those in the minority who dont have a plan.
why does it matter what the black lawmakers want. Its about the people and what they want as a whole not what one perticular race.
The “Public Option” is what it says. If we are given the right to choose which insurance plan we desire, what is the problem with the private insurer?
The Democrats need to step-up and come together and pass this health care reform bill with an public option. If having a “public option” keep the private insurer competitive, honest, and affordable, than so be it!!!
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