Public option not completely dead

Talking Points Memo is reporting that New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg has signed a letter pledging to pass a public option via the reconciliation process — essentially, an end-around the fillibuster. I’d rather see a single-payer plan, but failing that, it is clear to me that we cannot reform the healthcare industry without creating a publicly administered, national nonprofit health insurance company that can act as competition for the insurance cartel.

That means 16 are on board and another 35 are needed (which could include Vice President Joe Biden). The odds are not good, but longshots do occasionally finish in the money.

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• Read poetry at The Subterranean.
• Suburban Pastoral, a chapbook by Hank Kalet, available here.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet