Just saw this on Politico and this has to be the best news on this so far?????? Please don't tell me I'm over-reacting!!! grrrrr
Why thank you folks...I didn't even know if I was doing all the right stuff when I posted. Apologies for any mistakes. Only my 2nd post I think. Anyway, I am a lot more hopeful today than I have been before for the PO!!
From Huffington Post:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who will have wide control over reconciling two versions of health care legislation in the Senate, told local constituents on Thursday that the final bill will include a public option for insurance coverage.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
From Politico
Harkin: No GOP input in merged bill
HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin said in a conference call today that Republicans will not have a seat at the table when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid merges the HELP and Finance bills into a single piece of legislation. Harkin's comment carries weight because, as chairman, Harkin will presumably be at the center of the negotiations to merge the bills.
"No, this will be a proposal by the Democrats to bring a bill on the floor. And that’s what I have said before, that the people of this country — I keep saying — the people of this country pretty overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama last fall and to make changes," he said. "The people of this country overwhelmingly elected Democrats to the House and Senate," Harkin said, according to The Des Moines Register.
Harkin, a huge public option booster, also predicted the bill would have a public option.
"We will have a bill on the president’s desk before Christmas, a health-reform bill. It will have a lot of good stuff in it. It will have a lot of prevention and wellness programs in there that I’ve been fighting for," Harkin told reporters in a morning conference call. "And it will have a public option."
"The question of if it doesn’t isn’t even an option," he added.
OK, this has to be the best news on this that I have heard so far. maybe all this rope-a-dope stuff was just that. Maybe we are going to get what we want at the end????