Kerry Pushes For Public Option Trigger In Closed-Door Meeting
First Posted: 06-25-09 12:19 PM
In a closed-door meeting of Senate Finance Committee Democratic members and their staff Wednesday evening, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) suggested that the committee bill include a ten-year delay between passage of health care reform and the implementation of a public option that Americans could buy into, according to two Democratic aides.
Under the plan floated by Kerry, a public health care option would only be triggered by private insurance companies failing to meet certain criteria after ten years. Known as the "trigger" in legislative lingo, the idea is vociferously opposed by health care advocates who consider it the death of reform.
Reform advocates say that the system is already broken and that there's no need to wait any longer, also warning that the insurance industry might be able to game the criteria and prevent the public plan trigger from ever being pulled.
One source familiar with Kerry's unexpected suggestion said that the idea seemed to have little impact on the meeting and that the senators quickly moved on.
Previously, Kerry has expressed strong support for a public option without a trigger so that would be available immediately.
But the Finance Committee is more conservative than the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and getting a public option through without a trigger will be a political challenge. Ranking Republican Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has shown little interest in compromise so far, leaving Maine's Olympia Snowe as the likeliest Republican to cross the committee aisle. Snowe has said she would support a public option but only with a trigger.
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Finance bills will be combined once they both move through their respective committees.
A Kerry spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kerry Pushes For Public Option Trigger In Closed-Door Meeting
Hey Judas..... FUCK YOU!
And every other douchebag standing in the way, for that matter