The battle cry among House Democratic leaders for a robust public option
health care plan based on paying providers Medicare rates plus 5 percent appears
to be weakening.
Responding to news reports that she did not have enough votes in the House to
support a robust public option, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California,
acknowledged that this proposal “was not the only way” to craft a public plan,
and that a final decision on a public option and a final vote count had yet to
be reached.
It’s clear, however, that in reviewing potential formats for a public plan,
the robust option saves the most money—$110 billion during 10 years, Pelosi said
at a news conference. She added that “at the end of the day we will have a
public option” in the House health reform bill to keep costs down and keep
insurance companies honest.
Pelosi also announced several changes to Medicare benefits under the bill,
including a pledge to eliminate the program’s so-called coverage gap or
“doughnut hole” during a 10-year period, offering a 50 percent discount on
brand-name drugs as the gap in the doughnut hole gradually disappears.
Other reimbursement formats for the public option have been under
consideration, such as one establishing negotiated rates with a Medicare-plus-5
percent “trigger” kicking in if premiums rise too quickly, or one pairing
negotiated rates with an expansion of Medicaid.
Whether the House would consider a Senate proposal to allow states to “opt
out” of a public plan is something that would have to be worked out in
conference with the Senate, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-South Carolina,
told reporters.
Filed by Jennifer Lubell of
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