WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-NM, and 29 fellow senators sent a letter to Senate leadership today urging the inclusion of a public health option in any health reform legislation that will be considered on the Senate floor.
In the letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the senators expressed concern that without a competitive and robust public insurance option, health reform legislation will not produce nationwide access and ongoing cost containment.
“Health reform is about improving access to health care, containing costs, and giving Americans a real choice in the insurance plan best suited to their needs,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to fight for a sustainable health care system that ensures Americans the option of a public plan in the merged Senate bill.”
Next week the Senate Finance Committee is expected to approve its version of health care reform legislation, which does not include a public insurance option. Legislation previously approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee does include a public insurance option. Once the Finance Committee completes its work, both versions of Senate health reform legislation will be merged into one bill to be debated by the full Senate.
“A public option allows us to inject competition in the market, and it allows individuals to shop around for the plan that best suits them – all while driving down costs for everyone,” Udall said. “The goal of health reform is to look out for the best interests of the American people. We’re asking senate negotiators to join us in doing just that.”
In addition to Udall, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH); John D. Rockefeller (D-WV); Russell D. Feingold (D-WI); Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT); Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI); Kristen E. Gillibrand (D-NY); Roland W. Burris (D-IL); Ron Wyden (D-OR); Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Michael F. Bennet (D-CO); Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); Jack Reed (D-RI); Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ); Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD); Al Franken (D-MN); Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA); Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD); Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI); Edward E. Kaufman (D-DE); Arlen Specter (D-PA); Maria Cantwell (D-WA); Robert Menendez (D-NJ); Bernard Sanders (I-VT); John F. Kerry (D-MA); Herb Kohl (D-WI); and Paul Kirk (D-MA).
An additional 14 senators have also expressed support for the public option through a resolution, letter, or by voting for a strong public option during committee markups.
A full copy of the letter is below:
October 8, 2009
The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
The Capitol, S-221
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid:
We have spent the better part of this year fighting for health reform that would provide insurance access and continuity to every American in a fiscally responsible manner. We are concerned that – absent a competitive and continuous public insurance option – health reform legislation will not produce nationwide access and ongoing cost containment. For that reason, we are asking for your leadership on ensuring that the merged health reform bill contains a public insurance option.
As it stands, the health insurance market is dominated by a handful of for-profit health insurers that are exempt from the anti-trust laws that ensure robust competition in other markets across the United States. Without a not-for-profit public insurance alternative that competes with these insurers based on premium rates and quality, insurers will have free rein to increase insurance premiums and drive up the cost of federal subsidies tied to those premiums. This is simply not fiscally sustainable.
We recognize that the two Committees with jurisdiction over health reform – the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee – have taken two very different approaches with respect to this issue. However, a strong public option has resounding support among Senate Democrats – every Democrat on HELP, three quarters of those on Finance, and what we believe is a majority of the caucus.
The Senate Finance Committee included a cooperative approach to insurance market competition. While promoting more co-ops may be a worthy goal, it is not realistic to expect local co-ops to spring up in every corner of this country. There are many areas of the country where the population is simply too small to sustain a local co-op plan. We are also concerned that the administrative costs associated with financing the start-up of multiple co-op plans would far outstrip the seed money required to establish a public health insurance program.
Opponents of health reform argue that a public option presents unfair competition to the private insurance companies. However, it is possible to create a public health insurance option that is modeled after private insurance – rates are negotiated and providers are not required to participate in the plan. As you know, this is the Senate HELP Committee’s approach. The major differences between the public option and for-profit plans are that the public plan would report to taxpayers, not to shareholders, and the public plan would be available continuously in all parts of the country. The number one goal of health reform must be to look out for the best interests of the American people – patients and taxpayers alike – not the profit margins of insurance companies.
Health reform is about improving access to health care, containing costs, and giving Americans a real choice in the insurance plan best suited to their needs. We urge you to fight for a sustainable health care system that ensures Americans the option of a public plan in the merged Senate bill.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
John D. Rockefeller (D-WV)
Russell D. Feingold (D-WI)
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Kristen E. Gillibrand (D-NY)
Roland W. Burris (D-IL)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI)
Edward E. Kaufman (D-DE)
Arlen Specter (D-PA)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
John F. Kerry (D-MA)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Paul Kirk (D-MA)
