Government Insurance Plan May Be Doomed

The chances that a viable government insurance plan will be passed are sinking by the day as legislators continue jockeying for support in their respective quarters.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, stated to reporters that having a Medicare-like plan for middle-class Americans and their families was not necessarily a non-negotiable aspect of any proposed legislation. The comments actually came just after a key Democratic moderate announced he was not supporting any bill that offers a new government plan.

For progressives in the party, this has become a sore issue since many liberal Democrats have said in no-uncertain terms that they will not vote ‘yes’ for legislation if it fails to have a robust public option that would serve as a competitor with private insurers.

With even weaker support coming from the Senate, any hopes for reaching a bipartisan agreement are stretched thin. The goal for groups like the Finance Committee is to forge a genuine consensus on any compromise bill.

The question is whether or not the public option is “vitally important” or if it is something that can be put aside for the sake of a legitimate policy of health care reform.

Congressmen like Hoyer had this to say, “I think there is a lot in the bill that is very good in addition to the public option.”

He went on to add, “If the public option were not in there I could still support a bill, because I think there is a lot in there that is good.”

Prior to his Wednesday congressional address, President Obama told a Labor Day audience of union members that now was the moment when insurance companies should share accountability for those problems that are plaguing the system.

The president was confident that the presence of a public health insurance option would be an important tool to reduce the excesses of private industry. Still, there are indications that new legislation could be signed without the public option.