Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, has said she could support a public option built on a level playing field with private insurers. But now she’s saying she might also just vote against the entire package.
“I wouldn’t preclude myself from that, no,” she told the New York Times, “I know I’ll be held accountable for that vote.”
It’s difficult to imagine her outright opposing a health care bill along the lines of what’s expected to come out of the Senate–the remarks are most likely a nod to the possibility that the House of Representatives could win out in conference committee. In the past she’s suggested that a robust public option–one which paid Medicare rates, or enjoyed a government subsidy–would be a non starter.
