Pelosi’s Mindset: Bi-public Option

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Speech: “Here we have a situation where in the Kennedy bill in Senate, there is a public option -- it's not as strong as the public option in the House bill. If they want no public option, but a trigger, you can be sure that the trigger will bring on a very robust public option. So, if I were advising insurance companies, I'd tell them take this bill the way it is now.”

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Statement: “Any real change requires the inclusion of a strong public option… A bill without a strong public option will not pass the House. Eliminating the public option would be a major victory for the insurance companies who have rationed care, increased premiums and denied coverage. If someone has a better idea for promoting competition and reducing health care costs, they should put it on the table. But for the past month, opponents of health insurance reform have demonstrated that they are afraid of the facts. They have only offered distortions, distractions and misrepresentations to try to kill this historic legislation.”