The public option, which many had declared dead and gone, is making an unexpected attempt at a comeback. Yesterday Sen. Al Franken signed a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to use the process of reconciliation to vote on a public option.
Now Sen. Amy Klobuchar has thrown her support behind the growing Senate call to use reconciliation to pass a modified version of the health reform bill. To date, 16 senators and 119 House members have signed the letter calling for a vote on a public option, including Minnesotans Franken, Rep. Keith Ellison and Rep. Jim Oberstar.
While Klobuchar didn't say whether she'd also sign the letter, she did release a statement that expresses many of the same sentiments. Using reconciliation, she said, would allow the reform bill to pass with some critical changes — such as eliminating the "Nebraska deal" that the Senate cut with Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., to ensure his support for the bill.
Klobuchar was clear that, while she supports the public option proposed in the House version of the bill, she does not support one based on Medicare rates.
Her full statement to the press appears below:
Hayley Tsukayama is an intern at the Star Tribune's Washington bureau.
