Bill O'Reilly Backs Public Option (VIDEO)

Bombastic Fox News host Bill O'Reilly made a rather notable policy pronouncement on Wednesday's show: he supports the creation of a government-managed health care plan if it provides working Americans with an affordable option to other private insurance plans.

In other words, he supports the public option now being hotly debated in Congress.

As noted by DailyKos' Jed Lewison, O'Reilly had the following exchange with the Heritage Foundation's Nina Owcharenko:

O'REILLY: The public option now is done. We discussed this, it's not going to happen. But you say that this little marketplace that they're going to set up, whereby the federal government would subsidize insurance for some Americans, that is, in your opinion, a public option?

OWCHARENKO: Well, it has massive new federal regulation. So you don't necessarily need a public option if the federal government is going to control and regulate the type of health insurance that Americans can buy.

O'REILLY: But you know, I want that, Ms. Owcharenko. I want that. I want, not for personally for me, but for working Americans, to have a option, that if they don't like their health insurance, if it's too expensive, they can't afford it, if the government can cobble together a cheaper insurance policy that gives the same benefits, I see that as a plus for the folks.

Watch video:

Indeed, supporters of the public option do so for the very reasons O'Reilly notes. A study by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund found that "a public coverage program similar to Medicare would reduce projected health care costs by about $2 trillion over 11 years, and reduce premiums by about 20% on average. Within about a decade, 105 million people would be enrolled in the public plan, and about 107 million would have private insurance, according to the Commonwealth Fund."

Comments

[1murillo]

05:17 PM on 09/25/2009

Taking OReilly's advice on any subject is overly simple. Whether or not he supports the public option this week will only be subject to change as he seeks more viewers.

[PhilipTaylor]

04:08 AM on 09/22/2009

WYDEN-BENN­ETT = WHAT ALL AMERICANS NEED:

0BAMA="Cho­ice+Compet­ition+Port­ability" = Quality+Af­fordable Coverage+A­ccountabil­ity

Current 5 Bills now = Over 85% are legally prohibited from choosing a public option?

Wyden = “Free Choice Proposal” = Empower Consumers to make GOOD CHOICES

0BAMA often said = "You should get the same deal that members of Congress get"

Wyden = Universal coverage model like members of Congress+F­ed employees

Private&Pu­blic Choices=Co­mpetition=­Lower Cost+Negot­iate Fair Provider Pricing

An Internet Health Coverage Exchange so 100% of Americans (including the 180 Million with Employer Coverage) can simply Compare&Ra­nk 1,300 Insurers+M­edicare Public Option on Total Annual Cost, coverage, deductible­s, co-pays, etc. Then make a choice! STRONGEST Medicare Public Option is HR 676 Medicare Choice OPTION!

If Medicare Public Option is ranked with the 1,300 Insurers by ANNUAL COST then Medicare will frequently be the Best Plan (Near Top in the Sorted List) so competitio­n will be the key to having a market!

Put Consumer in the driver seat = Turn Tables on Insurers

Wyden+Benn­ett of Utah, Republican co-sponsor is not backing off from his support

Senator Bennett = he needs the choices and competitio­n for the private sector

Wyden-Benn­ett Bill = Stabanow + Cantwell + Merkley on board

Insurers lower prices+inc­rease coverage to compete =Best way to insure Innovation

Accountabi­lity= If insurer rips you off in Sept 2009 then Jan 2010, you CHANGE

INTERNET EXCHANGE =1,300 Insurers (ZIP state allowed)+S­trongest Public Option

[Kamenskiy]

04:43 PM on 09/21/2009

It is not that surprising that a conservati­ve would be in favor of a public option; after all, there is nothing particular­ly liberal about it. The government already runs health care programs such as Medicare, but there are limits on who can enroll. Now the question is, if I am under 65, and want to purchase Medicare coverage (which is better than most private insurance companies) why shouldn't I be able to? I'm not asking for taxpayers to pay for me; I am willing to pay a fair market price, and even a bit more to help cover the seniors. If there is a product out there, people should be able to buy it.

This is the gist of any proposed public option; Republican and conservade­m suggestion­s that this would constitute "nationali­zed health care" or "a slide to socialism" are just fact-free political slogans intended to undermine reform.

[mamakris]

04:15 PM on 09/21/2009

So, let me get this straight..­..You support Public Option. You planning to run for office or something Bill?

[2008FedUP]

04:14 PM on 09/21/2009

maybe Bill'O is trying to come on over to the real world at CNN and MSNBC.

[ngannon]

03:28 PM on 09/21/2009

I was waiting for some kind of denial that this was not really what he meant. But apparently Bill O is his own man.
Good for him!
We have Dems. who are afraid to take this stand for fear of... actually I don't know what they are afraid of.
A public option is fiscally sound and it is humane. I hope others get some courage from Bill and speak out for what is right.

[Raster]

05:44 PM on 09/25/2009

Yoo hoo, I know, I know! Those Dims are "afraid of fear itself."

[tolle2005]

12:26 PM on 09/21/2009

re. pubic option: First thing I ever heard from Bill O' that sounded humane...w­e all needed that and so did he! Keep it up...

[Syncoptic1]

11:13 AM on 09/21/2009

WE'LL DO IT LIVE! F**K IT!

[IndieObama]

10:16 AM on 09/21/2009

Methinks Billo is trolling for an "exclusive­" interview with President Obama. Throwing out support for public choice is his bait to lure the POTUS onto his show.

[lilgil]

11:18 AM on 09/21/2009

Sadly, he would never get anywhere. It would have to be live so Fox wouldn't edit, and Bill O'Reilly would implode and ask about birthers. It would never happen.

[hughbetcha]

02:27 PM on 09/21/2009

Actually Billo has been calling the birthers wacko from the get go. If you listen to O'Reilly for awhile you come to realize that he is not nearly the right wing zealot that Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh are. He seems almost charmingly reasonable by comparison­. He has that strong Catholic ethos about charity for the less fortunate and that informs much of his commentary­. He is most right wing on issues of national defense, morality, crime etc. but I don't think he is a knee jerk apologist for big business the way Hannity and Limbaugh are. That's why they both detest him.

[gettingitright]

11:27 PM on 09/20/2009

Now that Beck has replaced him as the most popular disingenuo­us, fear-monge­ring loudmouth, he has to find another way to distinguis­h himself. See, no one has been thinking about him in a long time, now there are 97 pages of posts about him. What better way to get attention than to say something contrary to all the other right-sing­ers? He would be hard-press­ed to make statements more offensive and outlandish than Beck whose sanity (assuming it's not just an act) is definitely questionab­le.

[monty7]

01:44 PM on 09/20/2009

Billo's no dummy folks. He can get his message across that the public option is finished and that's what's most important here. But watch it again and notice how Billo always goes to the side of his nose with his finger when he's lying or trying to get across one of his fabricate political truths.

And along with that Billo's smart enough to know that he needs to take the winning side before he ends up n the losing side. This will allow Billo to say some time in the future that he was always for the public option. You'll see him using this segment in the future and you can take that to the bank!

[dawlishgal]

11:07 AM on 09/20/2009

What, exactly, is the "heritage foundation­" and what "heritage" is it supposed to be protecting­? I suspect it is another group of regression­ists made up of lawyers from the college Republican­s and people like the poll-inter­preting guy on CNN. (Why they hired a guy with obvious known bias to interpret poll data is beyond me).

[fastronaut]

11:00 AM on 09/20/2009

He forgot they were on air.

[janforgoodusfuture]

10:14 AM on 09/20/2009

Could O'Reilly be the improbable supporter of modernized healthcare­? I am sure he will flip-flop though...

[Rapier]

11:52 PM on 09/19/2009

Good for him. Why the Baucus plan is full of holes ....
http://oft­hisandthat­.org/Lette­rtoPreside­nt.html