By Leah Valencia – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) spoke out against a public option Wednesday saying that a government-owned and operated insurance plan would create debt and put private insurers out of business.

“It is not a time for a trillion dollar experiment in government health care, now is a time to buckle down financially and to find common sense reforms in the areas of health care,” McConnell said.

He said that including a public option, or government-run health insurance plan, will make it impossible for private insurers to compete.

“The option [Democrats] are advocating will soon be the only option, the others will simply fade away,” McConnell said. “Private health plans would fade away because a government-run plan would use the deep pockets of the federal government to set artificially low prices.”

Republican opposition to healthcare reform has stiffened since Monday when Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced that the Senate health care bill would include a public option with an opt-out provision.

GOP leaders have said they will filibuster the bill, leaving Democrats with the challenge of coming up with 60 votes.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday that there is a possibility the House will introduce its health care bill by the end of this week.

“That’s our objective because we want to consider this bill next week. And we’ve pledged to give 72 hours notice so we need to roll out the bill this week,” Hoyer said.

Regarding the inclusion of a public option in the bill, Hoyer said he still believes the tax-payer funded insurance plan is critically important to bring health care prices down and to ensure access for all Americans, but added it is “just one component of a very comprehensive bill.”

Hoyer also said that he is pleased with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) announcement yesterday that the Senate bill will contain an opt-out version of the public option plan.

“I think our bill will be somewhat different on public option, but we are very pleased that Senator Reid is now talking about a form of public option,” Hoyer said.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

On Monday Senate Finance Committee member and Chairman of the Finance Committee on Health Care Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he believes that his committee’s bill is nowhere near perfect, but is significantly better than the “status quo.”

“I’ve made no secret to the fact that we could’ve dug deeper, we could’ve gotten a lot more creative and we could’ve worked together much better, but the Gods were not leaning in that direction,” Rockefeller said of the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009.

The Democrat from West Virginia expressed content over the fact that the committee successfully defended the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Children’s Medicaid. He revealed that on the last day of the committee’s mark up of the bill, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) asked him to withdraw the CHIP amendment.

“The Chairman came up to me and actually asked me to withdraw the amendment, which I found most extraordinary,” said Rockefeller, “I refused to, and so we prevailed because the amendment speaks so strongly for itself,” he added.

Rockefeller said he does believe that a final, comprehensive reform bill will pass the Senate, adding that a public option is the only way to keep insurance companies “honest.”

Rockefeller said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is going to do the “best he can” while molding the two Senate health care bills together. Reid is expected to announce later today his intention to vie for a public option that would include a provision to allow individual states to opt-out.

“I believe that the merged bill will have a strong public option, my guess is that it will be an opt-out,” Rockefeller said, adding that he would prefer the opt-out plan over an opt-in.

In addition, he said there is no need for a trigger for a public option. He believes a public option will keep insurance companies competitive and will cover those who cannot afford private insurance, rendering a trigger option needless.

Rockefeller closed by saying, “We have a long way to go on all of this.”

By Courtney Costello-Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-N.V.) criticized Republicans Thursday for setting up road blocks during Senate floor mark-ups on the Kennedy-Dodd health care reform bill.

“Republicans come to the floor and all they do is give you buzzwords for maintaining the status quo regarding health care, we can’t maintain the status quo. Right now 1/6th of every dollar we spend in American is on health care, if we don’t change the curve… by the year 2020, ten years from now, the cost of health care will be 35% of every penny we spend in America,” said Reid.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill) argued that the longer American goes without health care reform, the more Americans pay for, or loose their health care.

“We are hoping that a number of Republican Senators will step forward and join us in trying to address some of these national issues,” said Senator Durbin.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) struck down Republican accusations that their party has not had a say on the issue, “They are being allowed to offer amendments and this talk that they aren’t allowed to offer amendments to me is surprising. So let’s bring that to the health care debate…Republicans filed more than 381 amendments just on the first several titles,” said Senator Murray.

Senator Reid praised Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Senator Max Baucus (D-M.T.) on their “remarkably good work” bringing attention to the issue of health care.

“If we’re going to make history, then we have to make it together, we need Republican help to get this done,” said Senator Durbin.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recounts a story of a young lady he encountered in Nevada who was the smartest student in her class but could not go to college because her parents came to America illegally. Reid says he wants to pass the Dream Act so that people like her are not denied citizenship and education. (0:55)

 

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At the 25th annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says Latino elected officials and voters have the power to make change and that their votes are important. (0:35)

 

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