Congressmen Restate Support for Public Option

August 17, 2009 6:10 PM

Congressmen Restate Support for Public Option

Posted by Stephanie Condon

(CBS/ Robert Hendin)While President Obama may be signaling he is ready to sacrifice the proposal to create a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option," in the name of compromise, many congressmen said today that they are not.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter (PDF) today to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stating their opposition to her statement that the public option is "not the essential element" of health care reform. The letter says 60 members of the House of Representatives will only support a health reform bill with a public option.

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House Leadership reiterated its support for the public option as well.

"There is strong support in the House for a public option," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement today. "A public option is the best option to lower costs, improve the quality of health care, ensure choice and expand coverage."

While the Senate is expected to produce a more moderate health care bill, some senators also expressed their support for the public option.

"I believe the inclusion of a strong public plan option in health reform legislation is a must," said Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.V.), a member of Senate Finance Committee. "It is the only proven way to guarantee that all consumers have affordable, meaningful and accountable options available in the health insurance marketplace."

Sen. Russ Feingold called the public option a "fundamental part" of ensuring change.

"I am not interested in passing health care reform in name only," he said in a statement. "Without a public option, I don't see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good health care a privilege for those who can afford it."

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Speaking at Drexel University, Specter said the public option "is the best approach to give people choices," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

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