I RECEIVED THIS THIS MORNING....I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU

[Didi Tillson]

Breaking news: Senator Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders are moving to include a public health insurance option in their health care bill!1

That's fantastic, but there's one huge problem: reportedly, the White House is pushing Senate leaders to put in a "trigger" mechanism designed to kill the public option through indefinite delay.2

Why? The trigger proposal comes from Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, and according to CNN, the President thinks getting her vote will make the bill "more bipartisan."3


The President has said many, many times that a public option is the best way to keep insurance companies honest and lower skyrocketing health care costs. Senate Democrats are ready to fight for a public option—if the White House gives up now, it would be a tragic mistake.


Can you call the White House right away? Tell President Obama to stand with Senate Democrats and the American public to ensure the Senate bill includes a strong public health insurance option—not Senator Snowe's "trigger."

Here's where to call:

The White House
Phone: [phone] or 202-456-1414

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/whcalls/indexb.html?id=17662-13006481-uOnQktx...

Not surprisingly, a recent poll shows that health care with a public option is much more popular than a bipartisan plan without one.4 And a trigger would mean no public option for years, if ever:


At best, it would delay a public health insurance option for years—at worst, it would never go into effect. A trigger would delay the public option until certain conditions are met. But there's already a crisis: high costs, millions of uninsured, and a lack of choice for all of us. The conditions for a "trigger" have already been met.5

A decision to delay is a decision to deny. Even if the conditions for the "trigger" were met in ten years, Big Insurance would wage another massive campaign, all over again, to keep the public option from going into effect.
The trigger is a trap to kill real health care reform, a last-ditch effort by opponents of health care reform to gut the public option.6
The Senate could unveil a final bill any day now—possibly within hours. In these intense negotiations, it's crucial that the President stand strong for the public health insurance option. Can you call the White House today?

Here's where to call:

The White House
Phone: [phone] or 202-456-1414

Then let us know how it went here:

http://pol.moveon.org/whcalls/indexb.html?id=17662-13006481-uOnQktx...

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Marika, Stephen, Kat, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Public Option: It's Back," ABC News, October 22, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=84962&id=17662-13006481-uOnQktx&t=5

2. "Optional public option enters health care talks," CNN, October 22, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/22/health.care/

3. Ibid.

4. "Public option gains support," The Washington Post, October 20, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=84918&id=17662-13006481-uOnQktx&t=6

5. "A 'trigger' for the public health insurance option? Already triggered." NOW! Blog, May 20, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51443&id=17662-13006481-uOnQktx&t=7

6. Ibid.

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Didi Tillson on October 23, 2009.