Thread: House Democrats Wary of Strong Public Option

House Democrats Wary of Strong Public Option

Friday, October 23, 2009 10:30 AM
By: Dan Weil

For weeks the conventional wisdom has been that a public insurance option could pass the House of Representatives as part of healthcare reform, but not the more conservative Senate.

Now both sides of that equation have been thrown into doubt.

A survey ordered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who strongly backs the public option, showed she still needs more votes to pass the bill, The Hill news service reports.

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The survey indicates 46 Democrats would vote against a strongly worded public option, an anonymous Democratic House member told The Hill.

If every Republican votes against the health bill as expected, only 39 Democrats would be needed to prevent supporters from gaining the 218 votes needed to pass the bill.

The Hill’s anonymous source, who supports the public option, said Democratic leaders may strike the public option clause from the healthcare bill and consider alternatives. That would include a public option combined with the Medicaid program for the poor but not part of Medicare.

House moderates, including many Blue Dog Democrats, support this idea called “negotiated rates.â€

The Publlc Option is as effective and treacherous as the Stimulus bill has been to our economy The Public Option really means no option for the American people.

I also think we should be challenging the legitimacy of the Health care reform bill as it was stuffed into the Stimulus bill in the dark of night, without our vote and/or consent.