President Obama in the Washington Post yesterday:
Obama said the public option "has become a source of ideological contention between the left and right." But, he added, "I didn't campaign on the public option."Sure you didn't. That's why there's video, and countless news stories with you talking about it over and over again.
Candidate Obama to the Washington Post in 2008:
Every American has the right to affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage. My plan will ensure that all Americans have health care coverage through their employers, private health plans, the federal government, or the states. My plan builds on and improves our current insurance system, which most Americans continue to rely upon, and creates a new public health plan for those currently without coverage. Under my plan, Americans will be able to choose to maintain their current coverage if they choose to. For those without health insurance I will establish a new public insurance program, and provide subsides to afford care for those who need them. My plan includes a mandate that all children have health care coverage and I will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs to help ensure we cover all kids. My plan requires all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan. Under my plan a typical family will save $2,500 each year. We will realize tremendous savings within the health care system from improving efficiency and quality and reducing wasted expenditures system-wide. Specifically, these savings will result from investments in health information technology, improvements in prevention and management of chronic conditions, increased insurance industry competition and reduced industry overhead, the provision of federal reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, and reduced spending on uncompensated care.And I quote Media Matters Action, at length:
NUMEROUS OUTLETS REPORTED ON THE INCLUSION OF A PUBLIC OPTION OR PLAN DURING THE 2008 CAMPAIGN
July 2008: Senator Obama "Included An Optional Public Plan" In His Health Care Proposals. According to Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic, Senator Obama "included an optional public plan in his eventual blueprint for universal coverage." [The New Republic, 7/30/08]
September 2008: Senator "Obama's Plan Would Create A Voluntary Public Option." In a column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tom Teepen wrote: "No, Obama wouldn't 'force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat would stand between you and your doctor.' Obama's plan would create a voluntary public option for the uninsured. Others would keep their current insurance." [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 9/15/08]
September 2008: Then-Candidate Obama's Health Care Proposal Included A New Public Plan And Health Insurance Exchange. The Columbus Dispatch reported:
For starters, Obama's proposal would require that all children have coverage. He would expand the tax-funded children's health-insurance program to make sure that those unable to join private plans were covered. Although Obama would not require adults to have insurance, he would mandate that large businesses either provide coverage to their employees or pay into a new public plan through which anyone without coverage could buy it. Small-business owners would be exempt and would get a 50 percent health-care tax credit to help ease their cost of employee coverage. People without coverage could buy insurance through new public and private plans. Key to Obama's plan is creation of a National Health Insurance Exchange in which private insurers would offer coverage as generous as the government's plan, with new regulations requiring them to accept and not penalize anyone regardless of pre-existing conditions, Tanden said. [Columbus Dispatch, 9/23/08, via Lexis]
October 2008: Senator Obama's Health Care Plan Includes Both Private And Public Options. The Lima News reported: "Voters taking part in a Lima News election roundtable all had stories about their health insurance and skepticism about plans from Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Obama's plan includes the creation of a national plan of private and public options. Mc-Cain is proposing dramatic change to the taxcode and greater reliance on competition." [The Lima News, 10/5/08, via Lexis]
October 2008: Then-Candidate Obama's Public Option Discussed On NPR. During an October 20, 2008 interview on NPR, Trudy Lieberman, Director of the Health and Medicine Reporting Program at New York City University, said:
"I think we can say that there are really two key aspects of Obama's plan. One is that he would expand Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Plan, which was a program set up by Congress about a decade ago. The second part is something that's a little bit nebulous right now and that's called his public option. He's not quite sure how this will work or how it will actually emerge in any kind of legislative process. But the gist of it is that people would be able to buy insurance from this public plan, and he often says that people would be able to buy the same kind of insurance that members of Congress have. It's not clear whether the insurance provided for the so-called public option will be provided by private carriers or whether it will be a Medicare-like program. In that particular program, the government provides the benefits." [NPR.org, 10/20/08]
