Behind The Scenes, Pelosi Pushing Strong Public Option With House Democrats

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
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At a caucus meeting last night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sang the praises of a robust public option as both a policy tool and a negotiating tool.

“The savings [in the Baucus bill] come off the backs of the middle class,” Pelosi told Democrats, according to The Hill. “This is why we need a strong public option going into conference with the Senate.”

The news comes in contrast to a Wednesday report that Pelosi had floated a more modest public option in a separate meeting with rank and file Democrats.

Ultimately, though, the decision about what kind of plan the House settles on will come after the CBO projects the savings potentials of three different species of public option. Experts expect that a public option that pays providers Medicare rates plus 5 percent would generate significantly greater savings than would a public option whose administrator had to negotiate rates with providers.

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