In an interview with the Times-Picayune, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) “repeated her skepticism about a public insurance plan, arguing that the federal budget cannot sustain the cost.”
She said she thinks the supporters of a "public option" are focused more on expanding access, which she described as a secondary priority that must follow controlling costs within the current system.
"I want to make sure, No. 1, that whatever we do lowers costs for consumers and business, for the people who drive the economy," she said.
She is “actively engaged with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, on a health care bill first introduced in 2007.”
The Wyden-Bennett bill includes a government-regulated insurance exchange, but only with private plans, and it puts the burden on individuals to buy coverage, with the government providing subsidies for premiums based on need.
Perhaps most fundamental, it would begin to shift the entire insurance market away from its current employer-based model by ending the income tax exemption on health benefits, instead giving taxpayers generous tax breaks for insurance coverage.
It’s unclear how much of that bill will be included in the final Senate Finance Committee measure. Landrieu promises to reserve all options on floor votes.
Landrieu said she "reserves her options" on any floor votes.
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