Pelosi: Health Care Reform Can't Pass Without Public Option

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Huffington Post Thursday that a health care overhaul that did not include a public option wouldn't make it through the House because it "wouldn't have the votes."

At a press conference earlier in the morning, Pelosi had been asked if including a public plan that would compete with private insurance was "essential" to health care reform.

"Can you have effective health care reform without a public option?" a reporter asked.

The goal, she responded, was affordability and accessibility. "If you have another way to do that, put it on the table. And that's where we are. Everything should be on the table," she said.

The open-ended answer led some reporters after the press conference to wonder if she was backing off her statement to MSNBC Wednesday that a bill without a public option wouldn't get out of the House.

Not at all, she said. Asked by HuffPost if she would allow a reform package without a public option out of the House, she responded: "It's not a question of allow. It wouldn't have the votes."

The bill would lack the votes because the GOP generally opposes Democratic reform proposals, and the 77 member Congressional Progressive Caucus -- rarely heard from on the Hill -- has been particularly vocal in its commitment to oppose any reform that doesn't include a public option. The public plan's popularity extends beyond progressives and is broadly popular with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and even two-fifths of Blue Dogs, the conservative Democratic coalition.

Pelosi, during the press conference, also rejected a compromise proposal by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) to create private, nonprofit, regional health care cooperatives instead of a national public option.

Pelosi wasn't having it: "Not instead of a public option, no," she said.

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Comments

[VivaZapata]

excuses. excuses.

[MicheleCA]

First single payer is off the table & now AMA comes out against public option!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/us/politics/11health.html

[netgui68]

I can't wait to have a public option and when it is proven to be better and more successful than the current charade and right wing arguments are proven undeniably Wrong...maybe then we can have complete reform. Insurance companies are pure and simple FAT and they have come to be too fat to continue to support..time to cut out the middle man and get these costs under control.

[toushe]

Just having her involved at all makes it a deal kill er!

[VivaZapata]

she has to be the biggest disappoint ever. i rank higher than spitzer in the disappointment arena.

[RTIII]

Agreed.

Nancy The Zero.
.

[k6007]

Yeah, because the insurancelobby running the senate h8s her, and her progressive policies..

[Pablo175]

Health care can't pass WITH a public option.

[bluguy8]

Boy is she an a$$. public opinion is for single payer but she says its not on the table.

[slithers]

The public doesn't understand the benefits and drawbacks of single payer.

[JDJase]

the public is always for something before they're against it, and vice versa. The public isn't educated enough to understand these things

[zest]

When is comes to their pocketbooks Americans understand plenty.

[chaz]

Give them hell Nancy!

Public option period. Single payer period.

cap media ownership now and fire morning joe

[zest]

Yeah, what's up with mourning Joe? Does he own a health care insurance company. I know he doesn't care about other peoples health care insurance problems since he receives a lovely policy from GE. Joe, let the rest of us get a break.

[slithers]

Public opinion doesn't work. Look at California. Everyone gets to vote on everything and it's a mess. Representatives are there for a reason. That said, I don't trust the federal government for anything but the essentials that can ONLY be provided for by the federal government. Everything else, health care included, should be run by the state governments.

[D-V-H]

Let me remind those who oppose health care reform of something:

The President declared Thursday: "Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style." - George W Bush 5 Nov 2004

[obamanomics]

Yup, and neither one of them did. Not Obama, and not Bush. Obama was hired to fix the economy, and people don't view healthcare as fixing the economy.

[stevensnell]

I believe that it was public knowledge that Obama had more than one position before he was elected.

[zest]

Luckily Obama has a greater depth of vision for this country.

[k6007]

6 months - 8 years. Yeah, I see the comparison.

[RuWii]

Fixing health care will help fix the economy. A big reason that the automakers are bankrupt is because they can't afford to pay the union enforced health care to retirees.

Any small business owner will tell you that health care costs are their number one issue.

If we stop the insurance companies ripping us off we will also have more money left in our pockets to spend on other things.

[PaxEterna]

The Kennedy article is off the front page. One day of researching and responding to the proposal.
Shame on HP.

In the meantime, the double talk, back-pedalling, and maneuvering go on.

In the meantime, people are dying because they cannot afford to go to a doctor, get the treatments or procedures they need, or pay for the drugs they might require.

This is America in the 21st century. No change we can believe in, nothing to be proud of.

it's time for equal benefits for all. No hedging, no trimming, no steering, no tiering. One system for everyone.

[proggirl]

blahblahblah. All you wingnuts can scream until your faces fall off. This is OUR country as much as yours, and we want to be insured. We don't believe the private system works for anybody but itself. We believe it's time to change that. We have the votes. We will make this happen whether you like it or not. so instead of complaining, help us make it work or shut up and get out of the way.

[Pablo175]

You don't have the votes.

[easyrider1969]

The insurance companies and big pharma have the votes. Bought and paid for.

[toushe]

All hail O! you P H s think everything now is just spend money on anything no plan, no idea on how much it will really cost just follow the leader! Do those nose rings hurt??

[Whinger]

President Obama must fight for the people, just as the people fought for him!

[ProgressiveAndProud1]

BRAVO!!!! ..... Hope he is listening!!!!

Seems to only like pandering to the right.

[D-V-H]

If, like private insurance companies say, public insurance will cost more, why do they fight it so hard? It seems to me that people would choose the better of the two ideas. If private insurance worked so well, why would people leave it?

[slithers]

That's an easy answer.

If your taxes go up, to cover government health care, you're not going to pay for private health care. This will, homogenize the health care industry.

Everyone will have basic coverage to cover the bottom line but Instead of HMO's turning you down for procedures, it will be government... and you will have no recourse. Instead of drugs for rare illnesses that cost $6000 a month, the government simply won't fund the R&D for the drug or expensive treatments - just like the UK and Canada.

Just as long as the courts find that outlawing private hospitals is unconstitutional... I'm fine with it.

[zest]

Exactly, if private insurance is so great why are they afraid to compete with a public option? You do the math, I'm sure they have.

[jazzman]

Is that a public 'trigger' option? Is that a public option in which there can be no negotiating with doctors, drug companies, or hospitals for lower rates? OR is that a straight up public option? If it's the later, you're correct Nancy, we must have it. If it's the 'trigger' or 'restrictive' option then it's just a ruse.

Public option or single payer. Anything else is a waste of time and effort. Don't even bother to do anything else. The public anger will be enormous if its faux reform.

[MrBadger]

That's wonderful! Now if only the Senate leader had a set like Pelosi! I would also like to ask her whether that means when it comes time to reconcile the House and Senate versions she will ensure that the public plan doesn't get dropped, or more likely watered down with triggers and other nonsense to make it effectively null and void?