President Obama has given his Labor Day speech to the AFL-CIO, and stated his continued support for the public option.
Between President Obama's speech today and the release of the "Baucus Plan", it is once again apparent that the hardest fight will be in the Senate Finance Committee. We're going to have to apply pressure to moderate and conservative Democrats, and perhaps Olympia Snowe in order to beat a filibuster or move the public option through reconciliation.
As the President has said, the public option is not the entirety of health reform. But it is a critical component. Here are the principles to uphold:
- Reduce Cost
- Increase Access to Care
- Prevent denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions
- Make insurance portable - if you like your coverage & doctor, you can keep them
The insurance exchange idea is the mechanism to achieve these goals, but the public option is a critical component of the exchange to ensure competition and affordable access to care while making insurance companies honest.
More below the fold, including links and action...
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