Franken pushes for the public option
DFL Sen. Al Franken is one of several members of the U.S. Senate who is urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make sure the final health care bill include a public health insurance option. The letter, which was signed by thirty Senators, said the public option is critical. Here's a portion of the letter:
As it stands, the health insurance market is dominated by a handful of for-profit health insurers that are exempt from the anti-trust laws that ensure robust competition in other markets across the United States. Without a not-for-profit public insurance alternative that competes with these insurers based on premium rates and quality, insurers will have free rein to increase insurance premiums and drive up the cost of federal subsidies tied to those premiums. This is simply not fiscally sustainable.
We recognize that the two Committees with jurisdiction over health reform - the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee - have taken two very different approaches with respect to this issue. However, a strong public option has resounding support among Senate Democrats - every Democrat on HELP, three quarters of those on Finance, and what we believe is a majority of the caucus.
Minnesota's Senior U.S. Senator, Amy Klobuchar, did not sign the letter.
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