House Dems Seek Support For Broad Public Health Insurance Option
By Martin Vaughan, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- House Democratic leaders are pushing closer to embracing the more robust public health insurance option favored by liberal Democrats, as they sought Wednesday to gauge whether such a plan can win support from a majority of House lawmakers.
“I think we’re going to be able to,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, (D., N.Y.), a member of the House whip team, when asked if the robust public plan will get majority support. “I think it will ultimately become the law of the land.”
House Democratic leaders “whipped” support for the broad public option, meaning they polled their members regarding their support, during House votes Wednesday.
The plan would reimburse doctors and hospitals through a formula tied to Medicare rates. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has increasingly favored that version of a public plan, especially as it will cost the government less than an alternative under which payment rates would be negotiated with providers.
But the broad version isn’t sitting well with some rural and conservative Democrats. “I would think that causes a lot of concern among Blue Dogs,” said Rep. Jim Matheson (D., Utah) a leader of the Blue Dog coalition of moderate and conservative Democrats.
Insurance companies oppose the creation of any kind of public option, no matter how it is structured. But a negotiated-rate structure would prove less damaging to their interests, because it would be more costly to the public insurance plan than a payment schedule based on Medicare rates.
Rural lawmakers oppose tying the public option to Medicare because they argue that Medicare underpays rural health-care providers.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D., Va.) joined moderate Democrats earlier this year in pressing Pelosi for a public option tied to negotiated rates. But he signaled Wednesday he might be able to support a bill with the stronger public option, depending on what else is in the bill.
How the public option is structured “is not a make-or-break issue for most of us in the final analysis,” said Connolly.
-By Martin Vaughan, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9244; martin.vaughan@ dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires 10-21-091551ET Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.