The latest news from the health care battlefield ...
Schakowsky: "Nothing Has Changed" On Public Option
In our round-up on Monday, we noted what appeared to be hints -- albeit not new ones -- that the White House is not wedded to including a public insurance option in its health reform package. House progressives pushed back with a letter earlier this week and now Rep. Jan Schakowsky tells The Hill that she has received assurances from the Obama administration that the public plan is still very much on the table:
Schakowsky said she received a "question and answer" memo Monday from
the White House that laid out the president's support for a
government-run option that would compete with private insurers.
The memo said that "nothing has changed" and Obama views the public option as the "best way" to achieve his healthcare goals.
Meanwhile, Steve Benen points out that the White House's effort to make health reform a bipartisan exercise has been entirely unsuccessful:
This week, however, we seem to have reached the tipping point. A
variety of GOP leaders explained that Dems could drop the public option
altogether, and it wouldn't make any difference. Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa), who's become increasingly belligerent about the very idea of
reform, said he's prepared to vote against his own compromise bill.
Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) announced that Republicans will
reject reform no matter what's in the bill.
Indeed, the New York Times reports today that "Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority's cooperation
in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing
support for a final plan from within their own ranks." This shift means there will increased focus on Illinois' numerous wavering Democrats, including Reps. Bill Foster, Melissa Bean, Debbie Halvorson, and Jerry Costello.
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