Schumer Presses Reid on Public Option
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Anyone want to trade places with Sen. Harry Reid?
Just hours after the Senate Finance Committee approved a long-delayed health care bill, the Senate majority leader is facing intense pressure from liberals to include a “public option” the health care bill that comes to the Senate floor.
And one of the loudest calls is coming from a member of his own leadership team.
Sen. Charles Schumer, the third-ranking member of Senate Democratic leadership, made clear on MSNBC last night that inclusion of the public option is a decision that will fall to Reid. He laid out a strategy where the 60-vote threshold for movement in the Senate — something that’s stymied Democratic legislative efforts this year — would actually give Democrats an advantage.
“Leader Reid has the option of putting it in the final bill,” said Schumer, D-N.Y., per Talking Points Memo. “If he puts it in the final bill, in the combined bill, then you would need 60 votes to remove it. And there clearly are not 60 votes against the public option. And so we’re urging him to do that, and he’s seriously considering it.”
“It’s very important to see if a public option is in the bill that Leader Reid puts together,” Schumer continued. “He hasn’t yet made up his mind, but many of us who believe in the public option are urging him to do so, and so far we’re getting heard.”
His comments are being viewed as a rallying cry for progressives who are ratcheting up pressure on Reid, D-Nev., to include a public option in the bill he sends to the Senate floor.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee — a liberal group that’s been organizing and running ads to press for a public option — today is planning to deliver a petition with 90,000 signatures to Reid’s Senate office, demanding that he “lay down the law with conservative Democratic senators.”
Representatives of that group will be joined by Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., something of a hero on the left in the wake of his controversial comment about Republican health care plans on the House floor. They want Reid to commit to stripping the committee chairmanships of any Democrats who support a GOP filibuster of health care reform.
Reid himself is facing what’s promising to be a difficult reelection race in 2010. UPDATE: The pressure isn’t being received all that well in Reid’s camp. A source close to Reid e-mails this response: “Perhaps Sen. Reid should consider giving Schumer the assignment to get 60 votes on the public plan of his choosing, since he says there is a groundswell of support for this idea.”
Santorum: Money Will Not Defeat Obama, Ideas Will 
Rick Santorum's Full Speech at CPAC 2012
America is a free market society. The government simply does not have the ability to support everyone. If they try, they wiil go bankrupt like California.
Posted by: Jeff | October 14, 2009, 11:46 am 11:46 am
Put in the public option with a strong trigger clause. If the private market can deliver, that’s great. It will also be a first in the world. Put in a trigger clause or we’ll just be back in this mess 10 years later starting from scratch.
(I also love the opt out idea, but it will never get support since the last thing the protectors of private insurers want is the government to have a chance to show what a non-profit, public option can provide with lower spending.)
Posted by: jhw539 | October 14, 2009, 11:57 am 11:57 am
Reid needs to grow some, get this bill moving and unite the democrats! He’s in office to please the majority of people who want public option, not the repubs or lobbyists!!
Posted by: zee | October 14, 2009, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
Jee you have it backward – This is not about the government supporting everyone. It is about covering those rejected by the “free market”. The free market does not belong in healthcare. We should not be trying to profit from the sick. Healthcare should be run by those who care about the wellbeing of the patient, not themselves. Reid needs to take heed, include a strong public option. Its about time this is moving forward. America deserves so much better than the lip service they are getting from the mis informed or mal-aligned right wing.
Posted by: power2people | October 14, 2009, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
The left wants everyone covered without thinking who is going to pay for it. I suspect the reason the right is so furious is that the left expects the right to pay for everything. It won’t work!
Posted by: Jeff | October 14, 2009, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
zee | Oct 14, 2009 12:07:07 PM
Excuse me, but every poll around shows the majority of folks DON’T want a public option. Only ones that do are those that don’t have insurance… Sorry… opponents don’t have 60 votes to remove it, but Schumer doesn’t have 60 votes TO pass it with a public option… hey Dems.. the Failboat is awaiting boarding.. just get on now.
Posted by: Joe | October 14, 2009, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
Schumer,was in with the crooks of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,so why would anyone listen to him? Schumer says we need competition but the Democrats refuse to allow insurance companies across state lines.Where is the Tort Reform? They lowered the Mal-practice in Texas by tort reform and Doctors have been flocking to Texas,so where is it in the Federal Bill?
Posted by: marion | October 14, 2009, 5:07 pm 5:07 pm
Without a public option, the insurance companies will continue as usual.
Co-op is no different than the private insurance companies. Their premiums are just as high for indivduals.
If the senate doesn’t include the public option, they will make us all lose.
Posted by: stjomsland | October 14, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
“The left wants everyone covered without thinking who is going to pay for it. I suspect the reason the right is so furious is that the left expects the right to pay for everything.” – I am not a Democrat, but I do want the option of paying for my own health insurance somewhere other than from the insurance corporations. I estimate that in my lifetime I and my family have already paid them about 1/2 million dollars in premiums.
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | October 14, 2009, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
I have to say it is amusing to see the health insurers and their GOP supporters terrified of the public option. If a non-profit government sponsored health care option is inefficient, wasteful and incompetent than why are they so worried about competing against it in the marketplace?!
Posted by: hopesprings52 | October 14, 2009, 7:27 pm 7:27 pm
It would not be a good idea for the Democrats to push through a partisan bill – it can and will come back to haunt them – regardless of whether it is feasible or not. This is too big a bill affecting too many people to put a political spin on it. Politics will change – they always do.
Posted by: Jon F | October 14, 2009, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
I think the biggest concern about the public option plan is not the plan itself – but what it may morph into. It could easily start operating taking in less money than it put out (subsidies excluded). In this case, the government could use the treasury to fund operating losses and run up a big bill.
The last thing we need is for any bill to run over cost expectations. Unfortunately the federal government has more often than not run costs higher in reality than originally proposed.
Has anyone heard of a major federal plan or expenditure that has come up costing LESS than expected?
Posted by: Jon F | October 14, 2009, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
Dear Zee, re:
“Excuse me, but every poll around shows the majority of folks DON’T want a public option.”
— Huffington Post (today):
New Poll: 77 Percent Support “Choice” Of Public Option
— Drudge Report:
Poll: 65% Favor Public Option
A New York Times/CBS poll found that 65% of respondents want a public health care option, while only 26% opposed such a plan.
Can’t call that one-sided reporting.
Posted by: bco | October 14, 2009, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
Public option is probably a good thing, especially since the insurance industry thinks otherwise.
Having discovered that all of the players in the insurance industry were allowed to compare notes, including their prices for insurance coverage, is it any wonder why health care costs have escalated? Price fixing at its worse all with the okay of the government that’s supposed to be looking out for the public. I think we need to reform our government.
Posted by: John Locke | October 15, 2009, 12:06 am 12:06 am
The majority of folks in this country wants a bill with a public option. Without a public option, the bill would be a failure. There is just no other way to compete with the private insurers. I sincerely believe that if the democrats dont pass a bill that the majority of the people in this country want, there is going to be wholesale change in 2010 and 2012. Anything short of a public option is not change and will be a failure.
Posted by: johnnylee | October 15, 2009, 12:23 am 12:23 am
I hope this new healthcare package covers hearing aides and those deaf
people in Washington are first in line
to get them.
Posted by: wis134 | October 15, 2009, 6:13 am 6:13 am
One Public Option we already do have we will exercise at our Polling Stations! Folks want to be released from the bondage of the Health Care Industry!
Posted by: scott daharsh | October 15, 2009, 7:05 am 7:05 am
while it seems it will be unlawful for illegal aliens to be covered under a public option, it is also unlawful in most of the bills for anyone to ask about or verify citizenship. so, the same people who ignore our laws to start their “citizenship” are not expected to break our laws again to promote their own advantage. so if this health care bill succeeds, expect the greatest influx of foreigners to our country in history. we will no longer control our own destiny, but our country will be even more inundated by illegal invaders from all over the world. and many of them here only because they need medical care.
Posted by: julie | October 15, 2009, 8:39 am 8:39 am
We hear the public option is esssential. Please tel us how it makes things cheaper? With all the new coverage mandated under any of the bills, the costs of health care and insurance increases. Even if you take away all C level salaries and bonuses, agent commissions, etc. (e.g. reduce the SG&A costs to $0), the most insurance premiums will go down is 15%. A big number, but still leaves the monthly premium of several hundred bucks.
how do i pay for that?
Costs cannot come down until we reduce what is paid to hospitals and providers. If the government worked with providers to implement these things then costs can come down. Instead they want to increase costs and eventually taxes.
As far as I can tell under health care reform, we are all going to pay more money. If you are on medicaid, you may have a few more doctor choices, but pay more. If you have insurance you will pay more. Period!
Posted by: scott jeffries | October 15, 2009, 12:23 pm 12:23 pm
People we need to vote out the ones in congress and the senate who do not listen to us. The majority is saying NO to reform in this way. The problem is some people go to vote and see the same guy or lady on the ticket and forgive them for messing us all up. New blood fresh generation representation is needed. Get rid of the lifers
Posted by: Jim Rod | October 15, 2009, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
It doesn’t matter what the majority of Americans want. The Democrats have already started rolling with the Nuclear Option to make sure they get their way despite it not being the American Way.
Posted by: Brian | October 15, 2009, 7:22 pm 7:22 pm