Include the Public Option

Statement

The American people are demanding leadership from their elected leaders on health care reform. It's about time Washington stood up to insurance companies and stepped up for the American people.

One of the ways Washington can do that is to enact meaningful reform - reform that includes a public health insurance option.

Not only is a public option what most of the American people want, but it will also save taxpayer dollars. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that a public option could save at least $25 billion for taxpayers. Put simply, including a strong public option is one of the best, most fiscally-responsible ways to reform our health insurance system.

But not only will the public option lead to greater savings for taxpayers, it will also provide more choice and more competition for working families. Choice and competition - two things we all can support. If you like your current coverage, you should be able to keep it. A public option would simply provide the American people with another option for quality, affordable care.

While some in Washington choose to stall progress under the pretext of principle, more and more Americans are losing the health care coverage they need. They deserve better than a Washington more concerned about the thousands of dollars being lost by families struggling to pay for coverage than the millions being spent by special interests intent on stopping reform in its tracks.

We have an obligation to fix our unworkable health care system - both to reduce costs and to give the American people more choices. A strong public option is the best way to deliver on both of these goals. Now's not the time for further delay, or to run away from reform altogether. It's time we delivered for the American people, and created a health insurance system that actually works.

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