Public Option with Opt-Out Clause Not a Silver Bullet for Snowe (Trigger?)

[masuki bance]

ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:

October 14, 2009 8:31 AM

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, told ABC's Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that she has "concerns" about allowing states to opt into a government insurance option without first giving the marketplace an opportunity to perform under new consumer protections.

"I have concerns about that because that could be another way of opting into having a public option plan all across the country," said Snowe. "I would prefer to let the private sector to work through these reforms that we are going to require of them and with the amount of tax credits and subsidies and the exchange that is going to leverage competition and offer choices, that we can make the marketplace perform."

"If not, I have recommended having a safety net, a fallback, of a public option to kick in immediately if affordable choices aren't available to people in any given area of the country," she added. "That may be a resolution to this problem."

"There are going to be a lot of market reforms and a lot of prohibitions against practices that the industry has engaged in historically," she continued. "Those practices will come to an end and they are going to have to live up to a certain standard. If they don't, then you could have the public option kick in immediatelty."

...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/10/snowe-has-concerns-about-letting-states-opt-into-public-option-.html

A trigger is not acceptable.


*edit to add byline.

[MercutioATC]

1. Exactly WHY are we trying to placate this woman?

She's very clear that she doesn't support a public option. She wants the industry to regulate itself (a plan that worked SO well for the financial sector).

Seriously, we have a majority in Congress and THIS is what we're reduced to?

[Captain Hilts]

2. Because a majority of US voters oppose her view on the Public Option? Oh, guess not..nt

[Captain Hilts]

3. To her credit, she HATED GWB, who called her "The Big O." Really, he did. nt

[Armstead]

4. I got news for ya, sen. Snow-- The Insurance Lobby has already "pulled the trigger"

Wither their new study released this week, the health Insurance lobby has ALREADY STATED that under these reforms, they will continue to have the power to raise rates -- AND THEY PLAN TO DO IT.

They themselves have just pulled this ":trigger."

What frickin more proof do you need that a public option is needed?