Public option seen buoyed by 'opt out'

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By Sean Lengell

A leading Senate Democrat said Sunday that a health care proposal that lets states decide whether to participate in a "public option" insurance plan is close to gaining the 60 votes needed for passage, and a key moderate Democrat hinted at being open to such a plan.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, the chamber's third-ranking Democrat, said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, "is leaning strongly" toward a state "opt-out" proposal.

"I think we're very close to getting the 60 votes we need to move forward, and my guess is that the public option level playing field with the state opt-out will be in the bill," Mr. Schumer said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But Leader Reid will make that decision after he talks to everybody several times."

While Democrats control the filibuster-proof 60 votes needed to advance legislation under Senate rules, some moderate Democrats are wary about supporting the creation of a government-run health insurance program. At the other end of the Capitol, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted that her chamber's bill will have a "public option" insurance alternative, and several liberal lawmakers have said they will not support a proposal that doesn't have one.

Negotiations in recent days have focused on crafting a public option that would satisfy liberal and moderate Democrats and not drive away others. Meanwhile Sunday, the Associated Press reported that senators likely will drop from the final bill a provision that would mandate that most U.S. companies provide their employees with health insurance.

In his NBC appearance, Mr. Schumer said the state opt-out approach, crafted as a compromise to win over centrist Democrats -- and possibly liberal Republicans -- has been well-received by liberals and moderate Democrats.

One of those moderates, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said Sunday he would consider a government-run health insurance program if states are given the choice whether to participate. However, he said he would prefer an "opt-in" proposal, in which states would have to sign up for the plan, rather than an "opt-out" plan that would automatically include each state unless it affirmatively decided to withdraw.

"I'm a Jeffersonian Democrat. I think the states can make decisions on their own about their own citizens," Mr. Nelson said Sunday on "State of the Union" on CNN. "And so I certainly would look at that."

The state-option provision also would win support from some Republicans, Mr. Nelson predicted.

"I think we're all more comfortable, the people will be more comfortable if the states are engaged in taking care of the situation, recognizing that Utah's problems and California's problems are different than Nebraska's problems," he said.