Landrieu Open to Public Option with Trigger
EmailSen. Mary Landrieu is an outspoken opponent of creating a government insurance option as part of comprehensive health-care reform. The Louisiana Democrat worries that a public plan would undermine the private system which insures most Americans.
Landrieu signaled Sunday, however, while appearing on ABC's "This Week," that she is open to a government plan if it is created as a "fallback" to a newly regulated system of private insurance.
"I can support potentially a fallback, but only if the private sector is allowed and given a great opportunity to get this right," said Landrieu when asked about the public option with a trigger proposal. "I believe they can."
Landrieu belongs to the Moderate Dems Working Group. The group, which consists of 17 Democratic senators, met with President Obama at the White House on Sept. 10.
The group's co-chairman, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., urged the president during Thursday's meeting to bridge the divides in the Democratic Party be embracing a public option as a "fallback."
"If there is no meaningful competition after a couple of years, we would create competition through a public plan," Carper told ABC's Teddy Davis last week. "I think that could end up being the compromise because it bridges the differences between those who are for a robust public option and those who are adamantly opposed to a public option."
In addition to being supported by Carper, a Democrat, a public option with a trigger has also been touted by Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine who has so far been the only GOP senator who seems interested in cutting a deal with Democrats on health-care reform.
Watch Landrieu's comments on "This Week" HERE:
Read the full "This Week" transcript HERE:
Read more about Carper's comments to the president HERE:
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With the exception of Washington DC, Louisiana has the highest infant mortality rate in the country, 10.3 per 1000. (1)That is over 3 times as high as the infant mortality rate of France. But for a lot of the people in Louisiana it’s OK for babies to die, just as long as we avoid the “socialized” medicine that saves babies’ lives in Sweden or France.(2)
When I logged on to Center for Responsive Politics, I discovered that Mary Landrieu gets campaign contributions from lobbtyists, health professionals, insurance companies, and for profit hospitals. She gets $ 1 million from the health sector.
Health professionals are the top campaign contributors to Landrieu’s Republican counterpart, David Vitters. He also gets generous contributions from lobbyist $337,000 from the health Sector. Select medical Group is one of David Vitters’ top 20 campaign contributors.
So Landrieu favors a trigger for a public option. Look at the infant mortality rate of Louisiana one more time. Shouldn’t we have pulled the trigger for a public option a long time ago.
Mary Landrieu has only one priority. Her political campaign money.
It’s just too bad that babies in Louisiana cannot make political campaign contributions.
SOURCES
(1) Statesmaster.com
(2) The 2009 CIA Fact Book
Posted by: William Joseph Miller | September 13, 2009, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
Funny how George finished the article by blaming Republicans if a healthcare bill doesn’t pass or if it’s a bad bill.
Read slowly George, maybe you can get someone to explain it to you:
A Democrat resides in the White House.
Democrats are in total control of the Senate.
Democrats are in total control of the House.
Total control.
Along with power comes responsibility. Democrats get all of the blame or credit for anything and everything that does or does not happen. Blame Republicans, horses, aardvarks, clouds, oak trees, poets or sandstones but the responsibility belongs to the Democrats.
Period.
Posted by: oonogil2 | September 13, 2009, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
Like Obama didn’t get campaign funds from the entire medical industry…banks..celebrities..unions .. SEIU…George Soros… NAACP….ACLU… Frankly….a trigger is just another Obamacare Govt Run Program….changing the word does nothing to change this covert maneuver. A rose by any other name…sometimes a cigar is just a cigar … It dont’ play…it don’t fly….
Posted by: ttre888 | September 13, 2009, 11:30 pm 11:30 pm
We have been waiting for the Repubs to show some serious effort for TOO long and frankly I’m sick of their games, made up scare tactics and faux co-operation. How long does the President have to keep extending the olive branch to a group of complainers with NO contribution.
Wait a couple of years to see if the ins co.s can get it right?? you gotta be joking! In those few years they will have bought and paid for every senator alive while ppl are dying!
Its now or never for a PUBLIC OPTION.
Posted by: amber | September 13, 2009, 11:58 pm 11:58 pm
If the Democrats get the numbers right for the trigger then I would be for it. Right now I don’t know what algorithm they are using to come up with the trigger and I would like to see it specified.
Posted by: Math | September 16, 2009, 11:44 am 11:44 am
Is Health Care Reform Constitutional?
The administration seems to be operating under a distorted version of the Commerce Clause that has been grossly misinterpreted over the years as allowing the feds to regulate and control just about everything. In United States vs. Lopez in 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress can only regulate human activity that is truly commercial at its core. One does not go to a doctor to engage in commercial activity. The Supreme Court has specifically rejected the idea that Congress can regulate noneconomic activities simply because through a chain of collective events they might have some impact down the road.
Posted by: Sandcrab1612 | September 17, 2009, 10:31 am 10:31 am