Politics Blog: Reid Says Public Option Will Move Forward to Senate Floor

Posted by Allison Donnelly

The public health insurance option has been controversial from day one with health care reform legislation. The majority of Democrats want to include this provision, while Republicans are hesitant of a government-sponsored plan, thinking that it will lead to another government-takeover of health care.

Controversy aside, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Monday that he will move forward with a public option plan.

“The public option is not a silver bullet,” Reid said Monday, “I believe it’s an important way to ensure competition and level the playing field for patients with the insurance industry.”

Sen. Reid’s version of the public health insurance plan includes an “opt-out” option for individual states. With this idea, states can decide whether or not they will participate in a government-sponsored plan. What seems to be a good compromise, however, is not getting the deserved response from fellow senators.

According to Politico, Reid has between 56 and 57 votes for the opt-out option. This is several votes shy of the magic 60 votes needed to pass the bill.

So far, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who was one of the only Republicans to vote for the health care reform bill out of the Senate Finance Committee, is not one of these votes. According to Talking Points Memo, Sen. Snowe is “deeply dissapointed” in the Majority Leader’s decision. However, there is time for her opinion to change, especially if her support for health care reform remains strong.

The National Coalition on Health Care reported nearly 46 million Americans (20 percent of the American population under the age 65) were without health insurance in 2008. Due to the recession and inflated costs, this number continues to increase.