Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said today he is open to a government-run health insurance option and allowing states to opt out of the program if they choose.
This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced completion of compromise bill that includes a public insurance option but would allow states to opt out of the program.
Pryor, D-Ark., has been noncommittal on a public option during the months-long debate on health care reform. He said Wednesday he is not “philosophically opposed” to it. He also said he likes Reid’s idea of giving states the opportunity to opt out.
“I like the opt-out provision, at least what I know about it so far,” Pryor told reporters in a conference call. “I think it’s important for a state like Arkansas, if the Legislature decides that we don’t need a public option in our marketplace in Arkansas, they should be able to opt out of that. I think it gives the state some degree of control.”
Pryor said he is considering supporting a trigger amendment that would require the government to offer health insurance if the private insurance industry fails to make coverage affordable.
“The idea on the trigger is, you may not need the public option,” Pryor said.
“There may be enough competition in the marketplace that you don’t need a government-established insurance company out in the marketplace trying to keep rates low.”
Pryor also said he is inclined to send Reid’s bill to the Senate floor for debate.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a statement today, “Senator Mark Pryor’s ‘inclination’ to allow this bill to go to the Senate floor is no different than casting a vote in favor of Harry Reid’s costly government-run health care plan — a plan that will ultimately put Washington bureaucrats in between Arkansas patients and their doctors.”
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, also D-Ark., said Tuesday she would have difficulty supporting any legislation that includes a government-funded insurance option.
Lincoln said some of “our state officials” have told her they would prefer a program states could opt into, as opposed to a program that automatically includes states but allows them to opt out.
Gov. Mike Beebe said today he was not one of the officials who expressed that view to Lincoln.
“I have never said that. In fact, I haven’t addressed the issue of opt-in versus opt-out,” Beebe said. “What I have said is I want to look at what it’s going to actually mean for the state and for our people — what benefits, what competition, what additional coverages would be available — and then balance that with what it’s going to cost our people.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
