Rapid Response Team – Weekly Calls to Congress
Senate Finance Committee fails to pass a Public Option. Disappointing but not Surprising!
Senate Schumer led a valiant fight for a Public Option in the Senate Finance committee yesterday. He held strong defending the need for a public health insurance option – to assure the private health insurance would have to compete forcing them to lower cost and provide better care. Senator Schumer amendment for the Public Option was defeated by a 10-13 vote.
We must thank Senator Schumer for all his efforts to win a public option in the Senate Finance Committee – he was under tremendous pressure to abandon the public option – but he held strong and continued to fight on. He is still committed to continue to take the lead to assure a public option is in the Final Senate Bill. (Remember, the Senate Finance Committee is more conservative than the Senate as a whole. And 4 out of 5 Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care reform have passed a public option). Senate Finance is expected to pass its final proposal out of its committee by the end of the week’
Senator Reid will pull together representative from the Senate Finance and the Senate HELP committee to negotiate the two committees bills into one Health Reform Proposal to be brought to the Senate Floor for a voted around the week of Oct 12th. The Senate HELP committee bill contains a public option. So we still have a good chance to win. So let’s keep working together to win this one!
Thank Senator Schumer Today!
Call 1-877-264-4226
* If you are having trouble getting through on this number, try this alternative number 1-888-436-8427
Tell our Senator Schumer : Thank You! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you for your leadership on the public health insurance option. Thank you for being on our side instead of the big insurance industry. We are with you as you take our fight for the public option to the Senate Floor.
