Here's video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco on Thursday, speaking after an event at a local church, laying down a tough line on the public option:
While Pelosi says she cannot pass a bill through the House without a public option, she still leaves the door open to anyone who can propose a better way to accomplish the public option's goals. However she also makes clear that the co-op idea won't get the job done, and without a realistic alternative to the public option, the House will proceed towards its passage.
Pelosi also recognizes the historic nature of this moment in time, making it clear that she believes now is the time to pass health care reform include "all of the comprehensive aspects of it."
Transcript:
I agree with the President when he said in March at his health summit that the public option is the best way to keep the insurance companies honest, that it would be the best way to increase competition so we can lower costs, improve quality of care, retain choice, and expand coverage. If somebody can come up with a better idea, let them put it on the table. We haven’t heard that yet, so we’re fighting very hard for the public option.
Co-ops, if someone thinks that a co-op can work for their state, that’s fine if they want to have one for their state, perhaps that could be included in the legislation, but it is not a substitute for a public option.
Let me say it another way: there’s no way I can pass a bill in the House of Representatives without a public option. [Applause] As I say, unless somebody comes up with a better idea, that’s how we’re going forth in the House.
This is an opportunity, not of a lifetime, of a century. If we don’t pass this bill, with all the comprehensive aspects of it, now I don’t know when we’ll have a chance to do it.