Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., emerged from a White House meeting proclaiming their commitment to and President Obama’s support for a new government-run insurance program, but they seemed to leave some wiggle room for more moderate reform options that are gaining popularity.
“I personally am in favor of the public option,” Reid said after leaving the White House.
“I can’t speak for the House caucus, but if I were betting, I think the majority of them also believe in a public option. And we’re going to do our very best to have a public option or something like a public option before we finish this
work.”
Pelosi said the two had “a very productive meeting” with Obama and Vice President
Biden.
Pelosi said the public option would be essential for the passage of a bill in the House, but she also acknowledged that the bill would have to be a compromise among three proposals, including a bipartisan Senate plan that does not include the government-run insurance provision.
When asked whether she would support the idea of a public option that would be triggered only if insurance rates did not drop — a concept reportedly under discussion between the White House and Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, of Maine, Pelosi called the idea part of the legislative process and that “right now we will have a public option in our bill.”
But she warned the health insurance industry would be “better getting a public option now than one that is triggered. Because if you have a triggered public option, it’s because the insurance industry has demonstrated that they’re not cooperating, they’re not doing the right thing, and I think they’ll have a tougher public option to deal with.”
Reid said Obama talked about the speech he planned to deliver to Congress on Wednesday.
“He did tell us that he’s going to be outlining to the American people and, of course, the Congress, the health care reform bill that he contemplates that we will do,” Reid said.
“And we’re in agreement with him in that regard. I have every belief that when he finishes his speech tomorrow, the American people will be able to put aside some of the ridiculous falsehoods that have been perpetrated these past few weeks and focus on what’re going to do for this country.”
