Mary Landrieu Opposed To Public Health Care Option

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said on Tuesday that she is opposed to the creation of a public health care plan patients could opt into that would compete with private insurance.

"No, I'm not open to it. I'm not open to a public option," said Landrieu. "However, I will remain open to a compromise, a full compromise. Public option is not something that I support. I don't think it's the right way to go."

Landrieu is a key swing-voting "centrist" Democrat. Her vote may be less valuable, however, if Democrats decide to move health care reform through the Senate using the reconciliation process, which requires only a majority vote.

In May, Landrieu told the Huffington Post she was leaning against the public option but still considering it. "I am actually not sure," she said at the time. "I don't think I am [for it], but I told the folks that are promoting it that I would talk with them, but I am an original cosponsor of the Wyden-Bennett bipartisan proposal -- the only bipartisan proposal that I know of. And so I'm going to stay focused on that as a core, but I'm not going to shut the door on anything right now."

The Wyden-Bennett plan does not include a public option.

Though she is now opposed to the public option, she said she may still vote for a reform package that includes it. "It would be unlikely, but I'm not saying no, no and no," she said.

"I know there are some people really pushing this public option, but I think it really undermines the essence of our efforts to create a real market-based private sector model but with strong, I guess, safeguards for consumers," she said.

Landrieu said that in her estimation, a public option is not likely to be a part of the final reform plan. "I don't think that's likely, but I'm not counting all the votes," she said.

Asked if there were any other Democrats in the Senate that she knew of firmly opposed to a public option, she didn't miss a beat. "Ben Nelson," said Landrieu.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[DEl19713]

05:02 PM on 06/26/2009

I am a lobbyist for my family and my special interests include my family and friends. I will work hard and contribute my dollars to the opponents of the people that vote against this public option, they are voting for greedy corporations that put profits above people. They dont want competition only to keep there stingy pot of gold guaranteed, we are not stupid citizens we understand what it means when you vote against the people.

[tiredlady]

09:52 PM on 06/20/2009

Good, then I'm opposed to Mary Landrieu as a US Senator. Go away, lady, you didn't do anything to help the victims of Katrina, either.

[breakingpoint]

12:28 PM on 06/12/2009

Shame on Landrieu.

It's time for her and others in Congress to protest and give up their Tax Payer Health Care until every American is covered.

This is a human rights issue - 18,000 Americans die each year from lack of Heath Care ,that's six preventable 911s.

And with unemployment numbers rising so will Death By Being Uninsured.

She represents almost 5 million people.

As basic as the technology of the plow once was to building this great nation, in our technological modern world Heath Care is a basic human right.

Denying just one of her constituents or fellow citizens access to health care puts at risk their ability to work in order to provide food for their families. Her resent actions are not only wholly Un-Christian they are nothing short of criminal.

Like Senator Nelson who received more than $2 million from the Insurance and Health Care Industry Sen. Landrieu is now being exposed for taking money from these same interests.

These Health Care Industries profit from the deaths of American by denying them access and proper Healthy Care, this is not only a sin, it is murder.

Shame on her.

[jorge4u]

07:49 PM on 06/09/2009

If Senator Landrieu finds that a government health care option may not be the right choice for whatever reason (we still don't what that her reason is), then she and other politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, including their families, should forgo their taxpayer-funded coverage until they can come up with a reasonable and decent option for this country.

[lazercat2008]

07:28 PM on 06/09/2009

Why will we never get health care fixed? Oh, I don't know. You tell me.

GlaxoSmithKline: Recipients

Senate Obama, Barack $49,609
Senate McConnell, Mitch $35,100
Senate Dole, Elizabeth $19,000
Senate Coleman, Norm $14,000
Senate Clinton, Hillary $11,775
House Boehner, John $11,500
Senate Cornyn, John $10,250
Senate Alexander, Lamar $10,000
Senate Barrasso, John A $10,000
Senate Collins, Susan M $10,000
Senate Landrieu, Mary L $10,000
Senate Wicker, Roger $10,000

[BlackWidowPilot]

08:34 PM on 06/09/2009

Speaking of such mischief:

http://www.republicanoffenders.com

Worth a good, hard look for future reference in just such matters as this...

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Querent]

07:15 PM on 06/09/2009

Let's get rid of Landrieu, Nelson, and all the rest of the centrists and Blue Dogs, and vote in progressives. Let's contribute to progressive candidates regardless of where they are, and propel them to victory with our dollars, our support, and our work on their behalf. Let's send a message to the centrists and the
Blue Dogs that they are on the target list unless they move to the left.

[lazercat2008]

07:14 PM on 06/09/2009

January 2008

"Randy Best, a top Republican donor and Bush pioneer, founded Voyager, an educational products company and rather than selling the company’s reading program to school districts, hired lobbyists to obtain earmarks for it.

Although the House had appropriated $1 million for his program for the D.C. public schools, Best still needed a Senate sponsor. A lobbyist arranged a meeting with Sen. Landrieu, the chair of the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the District of Columbia, to press for an earmark. Shortly after Sen. Landrieu met with Best, a member of Sen. Landrieu’s staff asked him to hold a fundraiser for her and he agreed".--CREW

Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director, said today, “Senator Landrieu appears to have traded a $2 million earmark for $30,000 in campaign contributions.

[lazercat2008]

07:06 PM on 06/09/2009

"Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has sent a complaint to the Justice Department over an earmark that Mary Landrieu (D-LA) sponsored in 2001. According to CREW, Landrieu may have "violated federal bribery law by including a $2 million earmark for Voyager Expanded Learning in a bill a mere four days after receiving $30,000 in campaign contributions from company executives and their relatives."--CREW

Don't worry even if you lose your congressional healthcare plan, they have a great program in the prison system too.

[JerryTheAngel]

07:05 PM on 06/09/2009

Screw you Landrieu. How you still have a job after your dismal performance before and after Katrina is mind boggling.

[marijam]

07:03 PM on 06/09/2009

They are showing their true colors. Come reelection time, I'm going to remember and I'm going to give money to the person who wants to run against them, that is progressive.

[Querent]

07:02 PM on 06/09/2009

That's right, this is what centrism is all about. Sell out the best interests of the people you represent for the interests of the big-dollar contributors. If you vote for centrists, you deserve this kind of treatment. Centrism is a political attitude without any actual content. Doesn't matter whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. It just matters whether it's in the "middle". If conservatism had not already earned the distinction of being the most brainless political philosophy current today, centrism would have a good shot at the title.

[JDM73]

06:50 PM on 06/09/2009

There's no such thing as "centrism" or "centrists". It's a lame euphemism for kowtowing to the right.

[veracity]

06:48 PM on 06/09/2009

< "Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said on Tuesday that she is opposed to the creation of a public health care plan patients could opt into that would compete with private insurance.

"No, I'm not open to it. I'm not open to a public option," said Landrieu." >

WELL then - IF PUBLIC funded GOVERNMENT Health Care is so god-awful, Senator Landrieu - WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU GIVE UP _YOUR_ GOVERNMENT FUNDED senate Health Care yourself?? (and for your family, too).

!!!

[vonPinto]

06:45 PM on 06/09/2009

I wonder what this woman still puts "D" in front of her name. Has she forgotten her monumental failure at Katrina? She probably thinks we have short memory

[lazercat2008]

06:44 PM on 06/09/2009

Why should we help the poor and heal the sick? Jezzuz will do that fer free.