WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today released the following statement regarding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s decision to include a public option in health insurance reform legislation that will be debated by the full Senate:
“I applaud Majority Leader Reid for including a public option in health insurance reform legislation that will be considered by the full U.S. Senate. A strong public option will insert honest competition into the health insurance market, and is essential to our efforts if we hope to achieve substantive reform that makes quality, affordable health insurance available to the nearly half million New Mexicans without coverage today.
“While this legislation continues to be a work in progress, Majority Leader Reid’s leadership in including a public option in the Senate bill brings us one step closer to the day when no American will be forced to make the impossible choice between putting food on the table and providing health care coverage for their families.”
