Hope and Fail

President claims he ‘didn’t campaign on a public option’ when he did

During an interview with the Washington Post’s Scott Wilson, President Obama explained the compromises involved with getting the health care reform bill through the U.S. Senate. During the exchange, the president downplayed the absence of a “public option” in the Senate version of the bill, saying this:

So, every single criteria for reform that I put forward is in this bill. It is true that that the Senate version does not have a public option and that has become a source of ideological contention between the left and the right, but I didn’t campaign on a public option. I think it is a good idea but as I said on that speech on September 9, it just one small element of a broader reform effort.

Actually, the president did campaign on a pubic option — though not very loudly. The public option — a government-run insurance plan for low-income Americans — was a feature of the Obama-Biden platform.

Barack Obama’s campaign Web site said his health care plan would:

Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage.

And the detailed health care plan of the Obama-Biden campaign mentions the public plan at least eight times, including this:

The Obama-Biden plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals purchase new affordable health care options if they are uninsured or want new health insurance. Through the Exchange, any American will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it.

So, yes, the president did campaign on the a public option — one that promised the same coverage to Americans that’s given to members of the U.S. Congress.