Senate Finance Committee approves state-based public options
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6...public-options
The Senate Finance Committee added a quasi-public option to the healthcare reform bill Thursday.
Two days after Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and a few other Democrats joined Republicans to defeat amendments to create a national government-run public option health insurance program, the committee voted in favor of a proposal by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to enable states to form their own public options.
"This proposal is about giving federal dollars to the states and putting them in the driver's seat," Cantwell said. "It is a public plan, but negotiated with the private sector."
All Democrats except Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) voted to support the Cantwell amendment and all Republicans voted against it. Baucus, who has resisted adding a public option of any kind to his bill based on the argument that there is not enough support in the Senate, was enthusiastic about Cantwell's proposal. "This is a great amendment," he said.
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Interesting workaround, still BS.