House Democrats Push For Public Plan Option

House Democrats have announced that they will not accept any health reform bill that does not include a public plan option. The public plan option would allow the federal government to offer a health insurance plan similar to those offered by private insurance companies like CIGNA or Blue Cross Blue Shield.

According to Roll Call, this announcement was intended as a message for the Senate, who has been working on their own version of health reform for some time now. Although the Senate has been largely sidestepping this controversial issue, the House is confronting it directly, insisting that the public plan option is necessary to keep private insurers "honest."