Pawlenty says he’d lead charge to opt out of federal health care
Gov. Pawlenty told ABC's Topline webcast that he would lead the charge of opting out of any federal health care bill that would include a public option.
The proposal is gaining traction on Capitol Hill where House and Senate Democrats are taking the temperature of their members to see what plan works. No word on how the opt out plan would work or when it would kick in. So theoretically, Pawlenty may not be governor if and when the plan kicks in. If a decision was required by next year, he would also face a DFL controlled Legislature that would be less likely to back Pawlenty's "charge" to opt out of a federal package.
Here's the transcript from Topline.
ABC's David Chalian: "Would you opt out, would Minnesota opt out of a public option?"
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Gov. Pawlenty: "I don't know if I would opt out but I personally would like to opt out because I don't like government run health care. We shouldn't call it the public option we should call it what it is which is government run health care.
They are desperate, the Democrats are thrashing about, to figure out some way to get government run health care into the final package, embedded into the final package. And their rationale is we have to keep the private sector honest. So what's next then? If you don't like the price of toilet paper toothpaste would you create a government Target or a Wal-Mart to keep the private sector honest. It's a ludicrous proposition that government is going to come into this space and compete directly with the private sector. Whether it's opt in, opt out, trigger, I don't care. I don't like the idea..."
Chalian: "You would lead a charge in your state to opt out if that option was available?"
Pawlenty: "Well, I think so because I don't like government run health care."
ABC's Rick Klein: "I can understand you saying that it's not right for Minnesota. Would you have a problem with that being there for other states as an option. It may not be right in Minnesota but the governor from another state may say 'That is what I want."
Pawlenty: "Well there is a philosophical issue here about what should the federal government be doing and one of the things that they shouldn't be doing is continuing to add entitlement programs to their portfolio. They put on a pathway to bankruptcy every entitlement program that they currently run, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and others. Why would we give them another one when they can't even run the ones that they have?
Klein: "But what about the states having that option? If a state says this is right for it, do it. If it's not right for it then don't do it?
Pawlenty: "In terms of the state option, it's better than having them mandate it but I still don't like the idea, philosophically, of government run health insurance. I think it's a bad idea."
UPDATE: DFL state Rep. Tom Huntley tells the Pi Press that any opt out strategy would require legislation and he said lawmakers aren't interested:
"Why would you say no to something (when) you don't know what the details are?" Huntley said. "This is the typical Republican 'just say no' to anything on health care."