Is Public Health Insurance Dead ?

Over the weekend, the president seemed to be backing away from a public insurance option. He told a town hall meeting that a public option was "not the entirety of health care reform." He intimated that a reform plan could be passed without it.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went further saying the public option was "not the essential element"of health care reform. She went on to say that nonprofit cooperatives could be an alternative to public insurance.

What nonsense! Eliminating a public insurance option would leave the private insurance companies in charge of our nation's health care. It would also mean that a large percentage of the uninsured in America would remain uninsured. The "coops" would still be selling private insurance, and many Americans would be priced out of the market, just like they are now.

It looked like the Republicans and private insurance companies were going to win. They say they don't want a public insurance option because " a government program would have an unfair advantage because it wouldn't have to make a profit." WELL, DUH! That's what we have been saying all along -- the easiest way to cut health care costs is to remove the enormous profits from insurance. A public plan would do that.

Fortunately some good Democrats stood up yesterday to support the public option. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said the public option was "the best option to lower costs, improve the quality of health care, ensure choice and expand coverage." She also said, "There is strong support in the House for a public option."

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York) went even further saying the elimination of a public option could cost the president a hundred Democratic votes in the House. He said, "The president does seem like he's moving away from the public plan. If he does, he's not going to pass a bill. ... There's probably a hundred members of the House who believe for various reasons that you need to have something to bring down prices. ... If the president thinks he's cutting a deal to get Senate votes, he's probably losing House votes."

While eliminating the public option might pick up a few "blue dog" votes in the Senate, it could also cost him some votes of good Democrats there. Listen to the words of Sen. Russ Feingold, "A strong public option would ensure competition in the industry to provide the best, most affordable insurance for Americans and bring down the skyrocketing health care costs that are the biggest contributor to our long-term budget deficits. ... I am not interested in passing health care reform in name only."

The public option is not yet dead, but it is ailing. The liberals must make it clear to the president that they will not vote for reform unless a public option is included. Bipartisanship is a ridiculous concept at this point. The Republicans are not going to vote for reform no matter what it looks like. They have made that clear.

The president needs to forget the Republicans and concentrate on his own party passing real reform -- which can only happen with a public option. Anything else is not worth voting for.