Sen. John Thune said on a Wednesday conference call that there is
growing momentum behind including a government-run plan in final
health care legislation.
"I thought the government plan was dead," Thune said. "I don't
think that anymore."
Thune said there was momentum on the Democratic side of the aisle
for some form of a government plan. So far, various ideas have
included a "trigger" mechanism that would create a government
plan if private insurers don't meet certain targets, and another
proposal that would allow states to opt out of the plan.
Thune also said that if Democrats have trouble passing a bill
through normal means, they may split it into two parts, passing
the purely tax and spending measures (such as the expansion of
Medicaid) through the reconciliation process where they would
only need 51 votes, and the regulatory changes (such as coverage
of preexisting conditions) through the traditional process that
would require 60. However, he said that such a move would be a
last resort if they don't even have the votes to pass something
along the lines of the Senate Finance Committee bill, and that
they likely couldn't get a government plan through this method.
