More answers from Senators to questions about the public option
Posted on August 12th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in News Clips
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We've received a few more answers from Senators to the four questions Health Care for America Now, Democracy for America, and Open Left have been asking on the public health insurance option. For those who need a refresher, those questions are:
- Do you support a public healthcare option as part of reform?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that is ready on day one?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to our government?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that has the clout to establish rates with providers and big drug companies?
As Chris Bowers notes, the latest answers - all yeses from Senators Cardin and Cantwell - puts the tally at 43 Senators on the record in favor of a public health insurance option.
Senator Cantwell, on the nationally syndicated Bill Press Show, endorsed the HELP version of a public health insurance option, putting her as a yes for all four questions.
And Senator Cardin answered the four questions directly via email. Here are his answers:
Do you support a public healthcare option as part of reform? Yes. A public option – which is about who pays for the system and not who provides the medical care – should be available to provide quality, affordable health insurance to individuals who do not have access to coverage through an employer or other means.
Do you support a public healthcare option that is ready on day one? Yes. We need a strong public option to help foster competition and help drive down costs; we simultaneously must improve and support employer-based, private insurance coverage.
Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to our government? Yes. There should be low-cost, quality options for those who cannot afford private insurance, and we must give small businesses an affordable way to cover their employees.
Do you support a public healthcare option that has the clout to establish rates with providers and big drug companies? Yes. We need a strong public option to help foster competition and help drive down costs.
We hope to hear from more Senators on where they stand shortly. The full chart of answers is available below the fold.
Likely Supporters
| STATE/SENATOR | Public Option? | Available Day One? | Nationally Available? | Can Bargain for Rates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK - Begich (D) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) |
| AR - Lincoln (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| AR - Pryor (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA - Boxer (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA - Feinstein (D) | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CO - Bennet (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CO - Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CT- Dodd (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| CT - Lieberman (I) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| DE - Carper (D) | Maybe | |||
| DE - Kaufman (D) | Yes | |||
| FL - Bill Nelson (D) | Maybe (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| GA - Isakson (R) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| HI - Akaka (D) | Yes | |||
| HI - Inouye (D) | Yes | |||
| IA - Harkin (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| IL - Burris (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IL - Durbin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IN - Bayh (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| LA - Landrieu (D) | Maybe | No | No | No |
| MA - Kerry (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MA - Kennedy (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| MD - Cardin (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MD - Mikulski (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ME - Collins (R) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| ME - Snowe (R) | Maybe | |||
| MI - Levin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MI - Stabenow (D) | Yes | |||
| MN - Franken (D) | Yes (HCAN signer) | |||
| MN - Klobuchar (D) | Unknown | |||
| MO - McCaskill (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MT - Baucus (D) | Maybe | |||
| MT - Tester (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NC - Hagan (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ND - Conrad (D) | Maybe | Yes | No | Yes |
| ND - Dorgan (D) | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| NE - Ben Nelson (D) | Maybe | |||
| NH - Shaheen (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ - Lautenberg (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ - Menendez (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NM - Bingaman (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| NM - Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NV - Reid (D) | Yes | |||
| NY - Gillibrand (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NY - Schumer (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| OH - Brown (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| OR - Merkley (D) | Yes | Yes (via email) | Yes (via email) | Yes (via email) |
| OR - Wyden (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| PA - Casey (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| PA - Specter (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| RI - Reed (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| RI - Whitehouse (D) | Yes | |||
| SD - Johnson (D) | Unknown | |||
| VA - Warner (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | No | Dodges (via email) |
| VA - Webb (D) | Yes | |||
| VT - Leahy (D) | Yes | |||
| VT - Sanders (I) | Yes | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| WA - Cantwell (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WA - Murray (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill)) |
| WI - Feingold (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WI - Kohl (D) | Maybe (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| WV - Byrd (D) | Unknown | |||
| WV - Rockefeller (D) | Yes | Yes |
Likely Opposition
| STATE/SENATOR | Public Option? | Available Day One? | Nationally Available? | Can Bargain for Rates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK - Murkowski (R) | ||||
| AL - Sessions (R) | ||||
| AL - Shelby (R) | No | – | – | – |
| AZ - Kyl (R) | No | – | – | – |
| AZ - McCain (R) | No | – | – | – |
| FL - Martinez (R) | No (via email) | – | – | – |
| GA - Chambliss (R) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IA - Grassley (R) | No | – | – | – |
| ID - Crapo (R) | No | – | – | – |
| ID - Risch (R) | ||||
| IN - Lugar (R) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| KS - Brownback (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KS - Roberts (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KY - Bunning (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KY - McConnell (R) | No | – | – | – |
| LA - Vitter (R) | ||||
| MO - Bond (R) | ||||
| MS - Cochran (R) | ||||
| MS - Wicker (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NC - Burr (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NE - Johanns (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NH - Gregg (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NV - Ensign (R) | No | – | – | – |
| OH - Voinovich (R) | ||||
| OK - Coburn (R) | No | – | – | – |
| OK - Inhofe (R) | ||||
| SC - Demint (R) | No | – | – | – |
| SC - Graham (R) | No | – | – | – |
| SD - Thune (R) | ||||
| TN - Alexander (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TN - Corker (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TX - Cornyn (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TX - Hutchinson (R) | No | – | – | – |
| UT - Bennett (R) | No | – | – | – |
| UT - Hatch (R) | No | – | – | – |
| WY - Barrasso (R) | No | – | – | – |
| WY - Enzi (R) | No | – | – | – |
It is amazing to me that all of you supporters are blind to what is going on here. Or, maybe, you aren't and just want to live in a communist-like country. There is no way this Health Plan is anything but evil. Look at the advisors who are working on this bill. Read their own writings and read what they believe in. Obama is telling you all one thing and doing just the opposite. Look at his track record and see if it matches what he says. You will be surprised!
Anybody who does not support this Health Care Reform Bill is ether totally misled by the lies out there or has been paid off by corp. execs.
Gee, Mary, it's obvious you made up your mind, but it seems as if you don't see a problem.
There are organizers in in Los Angeles right now who are turning people away for free health care and all you've got for us is "evil" and "communism" and go look it up.
Mary, pay attention.
47 Million and counting uninsured.
More 180000 dying each year for lack of treatment.
37th in the world when it comes to access and proper care.
In 60 years the the GOP has stood against social security, Medicare AND Medicaid.
Medical bills: Number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
Medical bills: Number one cause of homelessness in the United States.
400 %: Rate of profit insurance companies have made between 2000 and 2009.
So next time you want to drop in, Mary, bring the facts and not slogans and labels. The health crisis is critical, so it requires critical thinking.