An interesting line comes out from Sen. Sherrod Brown in response to the news Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is including a public option with an opt-out clause.
Brown (D-OH) is one of the leading progressives pushing a “robust” public option. He applauded Reid’s move and challenged states with some political rhetoric:
“While the bill would allow a state to opt-out of offering the public option to its residents, I am confident that the states will choose to put middle class families ahead of the insurance industry.”
The rest of his statement:
“A public option in the Senate health reform bill is an important victory for taxpayers, middle class families, and American businesses. For too long, insurance companies haven’t played it straight with the American public. They’ve limited or denied medical care based on gender, location, and pre-existing health conditions, they’ve placed arbitrary caps on how much care you can receive, and they’ve fattened up their premiums with bloated administrative costs and record CEO salaries. Some of these insurers even reduce benefits for women if they’ve been victims of domestic violence. And they’ve been able to get away with it because of a lack of competition. A public option will inject much-needed competition into the insurance industry, keep HMOs honest, and ensure that families across the country have a choice between affordable, quality health plans.”
