Democratic Leaders Reaffirm Support For Public Option
As the healthcare reform battle continues on Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders have reaffirmed their support this week for a government run health insurance option. “There’s no way I can pass a bill in the House of Representatives without a public option,” stated House Majority leader Nancy Pelosi at a press conference in San Francisco.
There has been growing speculation this week that the White House maybe wavering on it’s commitment to the public option and might be willing to take it “off the table” in order to get the healthcare reform passed. Republicans are pushing for the idea of non-profit cooperatives to compete with the private marketplace who would be given government seed money to start off with.
Despite President Obama’s wish to seek bipartisan support for the reform package, it is likely that the eventual bill, if passed will fall under party lines. As of now the three different versions floating around the House subcommittees all have public options included.
It may all come down to whether or not Democratic leaders will be able to appease the more fiscally conservative members of their own party. Right now a group of conservative Democrats the so-called “Blue Dogs” are threatening to hold up passage and siding with Republicans if their demands are not met.
So even if the President is willing to give up the public option, his own party’s leaders maybe unwilling to compromise on that point.
