US as a health plan provider? Reform idea losing ground

The Christian Science Monitor reports:

Is the “public option” dead?

President Obama favors inclusion of a government-run insurance plan – a “public option,” for short – in health reform legislation. The president and his allies say such a plan is needed to help contain medical insurance costs and ensure that people in all parts of the country have adequate insurance choices.

But the public option has attracted strong opposition from Republicans and other critics who say it would be unfair competition for the private sector and could drive today’s insurers out of business.

Some analysts now say that the future for the public option looks bleak. It has been rejected by key players on the Senate Finance Committee, for one thing. For another, Mr. Obama has not actually insisted that it must be part of any health bill he will sign.