Pelosi To Include Public Option In House Health Reform Bill; Obama Touts Reform At DNC Speech

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 22 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) plans to include a "robust" public option in the chamber's final health care reform bill after a new Congressional Budget Office score released Tuesday shows that a bill that includes a robust public option will cost about $871 billion over the next 10 years, meeting President Obama's target of $900 billion for overhaul legislation, the AP/MSNBC reports. The bill that includes a strong public option would provide insurance coverage to 96% of uninsured U.S. residents who qualify (AP/MSNBC, 10/20). Pelosi told her caucus that she anticipates receiving more exact cost estimates for the House's legislation from CBO later this week (Wayne, CQ Today, 10/20).

Pelosi has been reviewing three different versions of a public option that could appear in the House's final bill (O'Connor, Politico, 10/20). The robust plan, favored by liberals, would reimburse physicians at Medicare rates plus 5% (Soraghan, The Hill, 10/20). Moderates prefer the two alternative plans. Both of these options would require the federal government to negotiate rates directly with providers, but one stipulates that a Medicare plus 5% plan would take effect if negotiated rates failed to generate enough savings.

In a meeting Tuesday with Democrats, Pelosi said that including a robust public plan option in health care reform legislation will give her a stronger bargaining position when House and Senate negotiators meet to work out differences between the bills passed by each chamber, according to a Democratic aide. The Senate Finance Committee bill (S 1796) does not include a public option (Politico, 10/20). It remains unclear whether the final Senate bill will include a public option (CQ Today, 10/20).

Obama Pushes Reform Ahead of 'Quiet Period'

Meanwhile, President Obama touted health reform and urged Democrats to stay focused on the reasons why it is needed, during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday, the AP/Fresno Bee reports. Obama told attendees that even the least popular health reform bill would extend coverage to 29 million U.S. residents. "Let's make sure that we keep our eye on the prize," Obama said (AP/Fresno Bee, 10/20).

According to the New York Times, Obama going forward will start keeping a lower profile and enter what one White House senior official called "a quiet period." The White House hopes that if Obama stays out of the fray for now, "he can come back strong with a fresh sales pitch" once health reform legislation has advanced closer to floor votes in the House and Senate, according to the Times (Stolberg, New York Times, 10/21).

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