Senate Dems to Face Off on Public Option

Public option supporters hope to build momentum for issue

Call it “public option day" as Democratic liberals are set to battle party moderates in the Senate today on the most explosive component of President Obama’s health care overhaul.

The Senate Finance Committee is not expected to pass an amendment in favor of creating a government-run insurance program, The Associated Press reports.

But supporters of the public option aren’t deterred. They welcome forcing on-the-fence Democratic lawmakers to show their cards on the issue in front of core liberal interest groups, according to The New York Times.

Supporters are also expected to keep pressing the case for a public option when the bill is reconciled with a more liberal bill from the Health Committee. “Just bringing up this issue in the Finance Committee has helped to revitalize the overall push for it,” Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Schumer told the Times. “Its chances only get better from here.”

Meanwhile, more than a dozen states are already voting to outlaw another crucial component of any bill that emerges from Congress: that each American sign up for health insurance or pay a fine, the Times reports.   

Get more: MSNBC, New York Times
 

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