Rasmussen Poll: Blunt 49%, Carnahan 43%

The latest Rasmussen poll has Rep. Roy Blunt leading secretary of state Robin Carnahan in the race for the U.S. Senate.

The poll of likely voters has Blunt at 49%, Carnahan at 43%, with 3% supporting someone else and 5% undecided.  Rasmussen reports anger over healthcare reform legislation is hurting the Democrat Carnahan.

Fresh off his state of the state address, Gov. Jay Nixon has a 61% approval rating.

Carnahan: Legislation Takes "Important Steps"

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Robin Carnahan continued to carefully craft her public position on federal healthcare legislation Thursday, saying the Senate bill "takes important steps" without wholeheartedly backing the entirety of the complex measure.

The Senate approved the measure early Thursday, 60-39, free of Republican votes. It sets the stage for a complicated conference committee negotiation, where House and Senate Democrats will attempt to push for final passage before President Obama's State of the Union address on February 2nd.

"While more needs to be done to get tough on insurance companies by creating more competition to drive down costs for all consumers, this legislation takes important steps to stop insurance companies from denying people insurance due to preexisting conditions, and to insure nearly 800,000 more Missourians," Carnahan said in a statement.

While Democrats from the president on down billed the vote as "historic," Republicans, like Congressman Roy Blunt framed it as a catastrophic mistake clouded by "political payoffs."

"It takes huge cuts out of Medicare for seniors, to spend on new programs that don't help seniors. Families will pay higher premiums for a new system that will move inevitably into rationing and ever deeper control by a huge new government bureaucracy. State budgets in Missouri and across the nation will be slammed with unfunded mandates from Washington, threatening funding for schools, public safety, and other vital purposes," Blunt said in a statement.

Blunt also made clear that Carnahan would have been among the Democrats voting "yes" if she held Sen. Kit Bond's seat.

The Missouri Republican Party used the season to land their charge: "On Christmas Eve, Robin Carnahan delivered a lump of coal to Missouri's families, businesses, and seniors when she declared what we already knew to be true: that she would have voted for the Democrats' reckless and expensive government-takeover of health care," said MoGOP executive director Lloyd Smith.

While conventional wisdom might permit the assumption that Carnahan would have been a "yes" vote, the Secretary of State has steered clear of taking a unequivocal position on the ever-changing legislation.

In early November, Carnahan said she was both "excited and concerned" about the legislation. What's unclear is where Carnahan stands on some of the most contentious differences between the House and Senate bills -- like the necessity of a public option, the level of abortion restrictions and who to tax to pay for the massive expansion of coverage.

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey showed Missouri voters opposed to Congressional healthcare legislation by a 57% to 40% margin. Carnahan lead Blunt overwhelmingly among those who favor the plan and held a surprising edge among those "somewhat opposed."

In her statement, for the first time, Carnahan also directly took a shot at Blunt's alternative plan, which focused on reigning in frivolous lawsuits and associated health plans through larger "risk pools."

"The alternative offered by Congressman Blunt, not only would increase premiums and push more Missourians onto the rolls of the uninsured but it also would let insurance companies continue their worst abuses like denying Missourians the care they need for the sake of profits. That is completely unacceptable," Carnahan said.

Meanwhile, one of the candidates aiming to replace Blunt mirrored some of the same language of the 7th District Congressman to lambaste passage.

"States like Missouri will see their budgets wrecked with more unfunded mandates from Washington, taking away from other essential services like education," said Mt. Vernon State Sen. Jack Goodman.

Goodman also pledged to work to overturn the legislation if elected, something former House Speaker Newt Gingrich already predicted would become a major campaign theme for Republicans in 2010.

The early-morning Christmas Eve vote allowed lawmakers to get home for the holiday. CNN showed video of Sen. Claire McCaskill, who voted yes, bolting through the parking lot as soon as the job was done.

Washington's WJLA reported that Sen. Bond, who voted no, also raced to the airport for a flight back to Kansas City.

"There's a blizzard due at 6 p.m. We're due to land at 3:30 p.m. Close counts in horseshoes, but I'm not sure about landing airplanes," Bond said.

Nixon VID: Most Difficult Decision & Biggest Disappointment

Governor Jay Nixon beat back any suggestion he broke a campaign promise by cutting Medicaid reimbursements to doctors this fall, a year after campaigning on reversing the healthcare cuts his predecessor made.

In an interview in the Governor's Mansion Thursday, Nixon said the biggest disappointment of his first year was failing to push through his deal with the Missouri Hospital Association, which would have expanded healthcare coverage to an estimated 35,000 uninsured.

But he was clear about who was to blame for that shortcoming.

"Literally as we sit here at the holiday season, 35-thousand working poor in Missouri don't have healthcare," Nixon said. "Even though the Missouri Senate and the Governor overwhelmingly supported that for zero pennies cost to the state," he added.

***WATCH EXCHANGE ABOVE***

ALSO: STAYS NEUTRAL ON SENATE HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

BUT SAYS: "The bottom line is we look to receive significant benefits from the federal government by the time this legislature gets back and gets its teeth into the budget, we should have an answer from Washington, D.C."

The Governor also said cutting the state workforce by almost 2-thousand was the most difficult decision of his first twelve months.

"Cutting the state workforce by almost 2,000. It's challenging. You know these people, you know their families," Nixon said.

McCaskill's Vote "On Hold" For Healthcare?

Claire's Conditions

Sen. Claire McCaskill stopped short of fully committing her vote for the Senate healthcare bill Sunday, saying her support would be determined by the Congressional Budget Office.

McCaskill appeared on FOX News Sunday: "If the current healthcare compromise doesn't bend the cost curve and bring down the deficit, it's back to the drawing board," she said. "Until we get the numbers back from the Congressional Budget Office we're all on hold. I have to be assured that this is going to bring down the deficit and is going to bring down healthcare costs for Missouri families," she added.

McCaskill is seen as likely to support the legislation, but her comments underscore the uncertainty that remains in the delicate legislative negotiations Democrats are navigating as the year comes to a close. At least two key Democrats -- Sen. Ben Nelson & Sen. Joe Lieberman -- say a Medicare "buy-in" option for ages 55 and up is a deal breaker.

The Congressional Budget Office is expected to release its analysis this week on the revised bill's cost.

McCaskill: Healthcare Bill Come The New Year

Sen. Claire McCaskill predicted Thursday on MSNBC's Hardball that the U.S. Senate would produce a healthcare bill "come the New Year."

While that timing can be interpreted a few ways, McCaskill warned there is "no margin of error here and everyone's tired and tensions are high."

Missouri's junior Senator also seemed to temper the wishes of the more liberal wing of her party and hinted Missouri public opinion may not be with her on changes to the healthcare system.

"People need to remember. We are the governing party because we have diversity of opinion in our party. We're not pure. We have moderates and we have more progressives and the reason we're governing right now is because we defeated moderate Republicans with moderate Democrats and people need to be patient about that and realize that compromise is not evil," McCaskill said. "No one's going to be really happy here. That's the process of legislating. It's about compromise . . . As we work through the compromises in our caucus, the progressives understand that everybody's going to have to bend a little to get to that final product that we can get across the finish line for the American people."

Asked whether her state was behind her, McCaskill hedged: "There's a lot of misinformation out there Chris. People are angry and cynical, in many instances, for good reasons. And they believing some of the stuff they are hearing, that the sky's going to fall."

Adding: "In Missouri, it's a 50-50 state, so I'm kind of used to half the state being mad at me."

But Vowing: "We're going to pass this bill and the sky is not going to fall."
***
ALSO: McCaskill said the legislation would ultimately "reverse the trend that is killing most families in this country and that is they're having to go in their pocket for more and more money, for healthcare every year . . . We're also going to bring some insurance companies to heel here," she said.

McCaskill Can't Accept Abortion Amendment

Sen. Claire McCaskill voted for a Republican amendment that would've limited entitlement programs Sunday but ripped GOP efforts to block a healthcare overhaul Monday while drawing a line in the sand against a fellow Democrat's anti-abortion amendment.

MCCASKILL'S STATEMENTS OVER THE PAST 24 HRS:

On What President Obama Said to the Democratic Caucus Sunday: "He did a great job reminding us why we all run for elections. We run for office to try to make a difference, not to be the most beloved person on the planet. I think here in Washington we get those confused sometimes."

On Why She Opposes Sen. Nelson's anti-abortion amendment: "You can't use private money in the private market and, frankly, I think that goes too far."

On Republican Opposition: "I wish the Republicans would quit being the party of 'No' and come together with us. There's a lot in this bill that they wrote. They don't acknowledge that now, but there [are] a lot of Republican amendments that were put in this bill in committee. Let's start working together. That's what the American people want us to do."

MO GOP RESPONDS:

The Missouri Republican Party argued that Sen. Ben Nelson's anti-abortion amendment mirrors the Stupak amendment that passed with Democratic support in the House.

"Most Missourians agree that their tax dollars should not be used to fund abortions, and the pro-life amendment being proposed in the Senate will clarify in this legislation common-sense policies that have been in place for years. McCaskill’s dishonest claims are nothing more than a cover-up for a federally-funded abortion-on-demand proposal," said GOP executive director Lloyd Smith.

Hoeman Touts "Real World" Healthcare Experience

BUT DOCTOR STEERS CLEAR OF SPECIFICS

Democratic State Senate candidate Michael Hoeman stressed his experience as a physician in being able to handle healthcare issues, but made no commitments to try to expand Medicaid and steered clear of endorsing federal healthcare legislation.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 6 REPORT HERE

"I have consoled patients in my office who have broken down in tears because their Medicaid had been taken away. Without it, healthcare was simply not possible for them," Hoeman said in his campaign kick-off Monday.

But when asked about new potential federal mandates that would force Medicaid expansion, Hoeman balked. "I think we need to look at what our priorities are for healthcare and not just address this piece-meal. I think we need to look at what our revenue situation is here," he said.

***WATCH Q & A ABOVE***

On House & Senate healthcare bills: "I think there are elements in each that are good and I think there are elements in each that are probably not workable.

Hoeman will likely face Republican Rep. Bob Dixon in a battle for Springfield's District 30 State Senate seat.

Last time a Democrat represented Springfield in the State Senate?

1942, Edward A. Barbour Jr., when it was the 20th District

It became the 30th Senate District in 1946.

Dems Clear Initial Healthcare Hurdle

ONWARD
The U.S. Senate votes 60-39 in a rare Saturday evening session to proceed with debate on historic healthcare legislation after the Thanksgiving break.

Strict Party Line Vote -- Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio was absent
Sen. Claire McCaskill AYE, Sen. Kit Bond NO
Three Democrats voted to move debate along, but still expressed concerns with details of the legislation, including a government-run public option

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN, Robert Gibbs:
"Tonight’s historic vote brings us one step closer to ending insurance company abuses, reining in spiraling health care costs, providing stability and security to those with health insurance, and extending quality health coverage to those who lack it. The President looks forward to a thorough and productive debate."

Excerpts from SEN. KIT BOND's floor speech:
"Move over, Bernie Madoff. Tip your hat to a trillion-dollar scam. It's filled with costly budget gimmicks and asks the people of America to spend over two trillion dollars on proposals that will heap a mountain of debt on their children and grandchildren."

"It’s the economy, stupid . . . the majority doesn’t seem to be paying attention . . . The bill before us is the crowning achievement of the drive to destroy our economy and our future . . . Instead of debating how to create jobs, we’re debating a bill that will takeover one-sixth of our economy and probably kill jobs. We’re like a mosquito in a nudist colony — so many targets, we don’t know who to hit."

LLOYD SMITH, Missouri Republican Party:

"Claire McCaskill has turned her back on Missourians. Despite a recent poll showing that two-thirds of Missourians do not support the Obama-Pelosi takeover of our health care system, McCaskill joined her liberal colleagues to support a bloated 2,074 page bill that will do nothing to lower health care costs for Missouri’s families. She chose the massive tax increases, Medicare cuts, and onerous regulations of an out-of-control government over real common-sense reform. What little was left of McCaskill’s reputation as a fiscal watchdog has been forever destroyed."

***
The Atlantic's Health Care Reform Debate TWEET List

Why a non-partisan health economist says the Senate bill "bends the cost curve" HERE

Cracks in the Democratic coalition HERE
AND: Senate Dems looks for three weeks of debate in December . . . look toward a mid-January vote

"Come, Take A Stand"

TEA TIME RETURNTH
The Branson Tea Party Coalition holds a "peaceful Constitutional rally" Saturday at 11 a.m. on Highway 76 in Branson.

The one-hour roadside demonstration will be held on the Highway 76 Strip in the area stretching from The Apple Tree Mall all the way to Fall Creek Road.

The roadside demonstration will be followed by a Speakers’ Forum/Tea Party Rally from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m next to the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre at 1600 W. HW 76.

Organizer Eric Farris tells participants to bring signs with messages "of your concerns regarding the outrageous and questionable actions of our elected leaders." Farris urges demonstrators to keep the messages "civil, sincere, and appropriate for public viewing."

More information can be found HERE.
***
On Saturday, the U.S. Senate is due to hold an initial vote on healthcare reform legislation in a move that will test the appetite for proposals that could extend medical coverage and slash insurance costs. The procedural vote will determine if Democrats have the 60 votes needed to move the legislation forward.

"It's a Very Likely Answer by my Likely Opponent"

Congressman Roy Blunt said he doesn't think Democrat Robin Carnahan's campaign strategy of avoiding specific positions on issues will prove successful in their 2010 U.S. Senate contest.

"In one of the most high profile Senate races in the country, I doubt if at the end of the day, some vague, 'I'm excited about it,' or 'I'm open to it,' will be good enough," Blunt said, in the final excerpt of an interview with Ky3 News earlier this week.

BUT he conceded, "If people on election day don't think that matters, they may vote for somebody who has no positions . . ."
***
On Carnahan's recent comments on healthcare: "It's a very likely answer by my likely opponent. What does that mean?"

Blunt then went on to tout the GOP alternative plan, which creates high risk insurance pools, costs much less, but only covers a fraction more of the uninsured. Under the Republican plan, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 3 million more people would get insurance coverage.

"It wouldn't significantly increase the amount covered," Blunt acknowledged.

It Would let people shop out of state for insurance and make it easier for small businesses to tap into coverage plans.

The L.A. Times has a comprehensive analysis of what Republicans offered HERE.

Carnahan Declines Position on Healthcare Bill

TAP DANCING

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan declined stating her position on the House healthcare bill, telling the Associated Press she is both excited and concerned about the legislation.

According to the wire service, Carnahan says she has concerns about whether the bill does enough to make health care affordable. But she says she is excited about the debate and calls the House vote an important first step.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Reacts: "Even for Robin Carnahan, this tap dance does not pass the straight face test. She’s running to represent Missourians in the U.S. Senate, yet Carnahan is unable or unwilling to articulate her position on one of the most important issues facing the families, seniors, and small businesses in her state," said NRSC spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson Marchand in a statement.

VIDEO is ALWAYS BETTER: And Capitol Calling has got it.

"I think that's not goint to be what we ultimately pass," Carnahan said on the healthcare legislation.

ALSO: Caranahan never specifically answers Jason Rosenbaum's question on the anti-abortion Stupak amendment. Only says she doesn't think a healthcare bill should turn into a debate "over abortion."

McCaskill: Stupak Amendment Shouldn't Kill Bill

Sen. Claire McCaskill doesn't believe a House amendment in the healthcare bill that restricts a woman's right to access or pay for abortion will bring down the legislation in the U.S. Senate.

"I am not sure that this is going to be enough to kill the bill," McCaskill said on MSNBC's Morning Joe Monday. "And frankly, once again, this is another example of having to govern with moderates. We can't just turn our back on the fact that the reason we are in majority, is because states like Indiana, and Arkansas, and Louisiana, and Missouri, and North Carolina, and Virginia sent Democrats to the Senate."

"Obviously, I have been a pro-choice candidate for my entire political career, and obviously there is controversy always surrounding this issue. But we are talking about whether or not people that get public money can buy an insurance policy that has a coverage for abortion. And that is not the majority of America. The majority of America is not going to be getting subsidies from the government....," McCaskill went on.

The provision, introduced by Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak is highly controversial with liberal lawmakers and many females. There are also reports that some Senate Democrats will introduce similar language in the Senate legislation.

The Huffington Post notes that Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), for one, has insisted she and 40 additional colleagues will oppose any final bill that includes the Stupak amendment.

Missouri Republicans & Skelton Lament House Healthcare Vote

"This is history"
Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton joined Missouri Republicans in opposition to a massive healthcare overhaul that narrowly cleared the U.S. House late Saturday.

Excerpts of each statement in order of reception:

7th District Congressional candidate Jack Goodman: "Very disappointing" "This legislation is loaded with job-killing taxes, mandates that create over 100 new bureaucracies, slashes Medicare funding and will further strain state budgets around the country. This is not fixing the problem, but legislating new problems in search of a solution."

4th District Congressman Ike Skelton: "Not the right balance" "I am concerned about the impact the legislation could have on rural hospitals and doctors. The proposed reductions to Medicare reimbursement could further squeeze the budgets of rural health care providers. One solution might be for Congress to ensure that rural Missourians understand how any new legislation will affect them and their families."

7th District Congressman Roy Blunt: "Budget-busting" "It's families and patients who will suffer most under this government takeover of health care. This bill costs more than $1 trillion, increases premium costs, puts a bureaucrat between you and your doctor, and pays for most of it with Medicare cuts and job-killing tax hikes."

7th District Congressional candidate Billy Long: "Playing politics" "If you ask career politicians to come up with a solution to health care you shouldn't be surprised when their solution is simply more government, more taxes and more bureaucracy. This bill is at best bad policy and at worst unconstitutional. I would have voted against it."

4th District Congressional candidate Bill Stouffer: "People have had enough" "This bill is the wrong answer to the wrong question. Instead of growing government, we should have focused on common sense solutions like medical malpractice reform, Association Health Plans and getting rid of the state lines to create real competition."

7th District Congressional candidate Gary Nodler: "Dangerous bill" "The bill passed last night in the House by Pelosi and the liberal Democrats is a step towards single payer, government run health care. If passed by the Senate, the bill will mortgage our childrens' financial future via exploding deficits and ruin Americans' health care."

7th District Congressional candidate Michael Wardell: "Ridiculous . . . egregious" "Our current health care system is certainly not perfect, but it is far better than this socialist-inspired prescription. If this bill becomes law, it will be the greatest government debacle ever visited upon the American people, who in retribution will once again consign the Democratic Party to the minority in Congress."

Blunt: H1N1 Vaccines Should Go To Moms & Kids First

Congressman Roy Blunt seized on media reports that Goldman Sachs received H1N1 vaccines before some hospitals and blamed the Obama administration for its failure to "manage distribution of this vaccine."

"While many Missourians are still at risk, Wall Street bankers are at the head of the line for H1N1 vaccine," Blunt said. “The federal government continues to demonstrate that it cannot manage distribution of this vaccine. This Administration is sending some Wall Street companies as many vaccines as hospitals are receiving, and Missouri families are not getting their fair share," he added.

"The Obama Administration should send Wall Street’s doses to Missouri, where expectant mothers, children and others vulnerable to the H1N1 virus are not guaranteed access to the vaccine. Moms and kids first," Blunt continued.
***

ALSO: The conservative, free-market group, American Future Fund, is running a TV ad linking problems with the H1N1 vaccine to plans for government run health insurance.

WATCH THE AD HERE

"President Obama called this pandemic a ‘national emergency,’ but the federal government continues to fail at one of its most basic responsibilities," Blunt said.

MO. DEMOCRATIC PARTY RESPONDS:
"Congressman Blunt is using a public safety issue to run from his 12 year Washington insider record of supporting corporate special interests on Wall Street," said Brian Zuzenak, Executive Director of the Missouri Democratic Party.

"Just this year, Blunt voted for a $1 million earmark for potato research in Idaho, Oregon and Washington that could have paid for 50,000 flu vaccines – enough to inoculate the entire city of Joplin, MO," added Zuzenak.

Blunt to Unveil 10 GOP Healthcare Bills in 2 Weeks

After weeks of sustained criticism from the Democratic Party, Congressman Roy Blunt said Monday he'll highlight one piece of GOP healthcare legislation each day for the next two weeks.

Blunt said HR 2607, the "Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act," would allow small businesses to band together to purchase coverage for their employees at a lower cost.

State and national Democrats quickly pounced and said Blunt's plan wasn't worth the wait.

"Congressman Blunt's health care plan was essentially written by the insurance lobby, who've poured in thousands of dollars into his campaign coffers over the years," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Eric Schultz.

The Missouri Democratic Party cited the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimates that HR 2607 would increase premiums for 80% of small businesses.

"The sickening truth is that his alternative Republican plan will push more Missourians off healthcare," said Missouri Democratic Party executive director Brian Zuzenak.

OpenCongress.org notes that there hasn't been much news coverage of this specific proposal dealing with small businesses.

Meanwhile, Blunt said he would join House Republicans in reading the 1,900 page Democratic healthcare bill before the media in Washington Tuesday.

Pile Up & On

1,990 PAGE HOUSE HEALTHCARE BILL ---

RAISES THE RHETORIC

Missouri Republicans were falling over each other to make the most striking and eye-popping attacks against the new $894 billion dollar House Democratic healthcare bill.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

Congressman Roy Blunt went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accusing her of "procedural chicanery and shutting Republicans out of crafting legislation." National Review reports Blunt noted that even as they scramble to figure out what's in the 1990 page bill it's "highly likely" that an "800 page amendment will be offered the moment it hits the floor... Nobody will know what’s in this bill 72 hours from now."

Talking Points Memo hit the GOP leadership for not giving any indication of when (or if) they'll offer a clear alternative of their own.

4th District GOP candidate Bill Stouffer called on Congressman Ike Skelton to oppose the legislation, even though Skelton has made clear he does not support a public option: "I call on Ike Skelton to not only vote against this legislation, but to publicly urge his colleagues to oppose this legislation. Ike should listen to his district, which said loud and clear this summer that they did not want more government involved in health care. This bill is a slap across the face of the hard-working farmers, small businesses and families of Missouri’s Fourth District," Stouffer said.

4th District GOP candidate Vicky Hartzler called the legislation "worse than bad." Hartzler didn't mention Skelton and instead listed a 10-point plan that would be in legislation she could support. Hartzler's first point was transparency: "No final votes should be taken until a bill has been printed in full, with a final cost analysis and a common-language explanation where the public can see the bill in full, in the form of a standard bill report."

8th District Republican Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office released the above photo to show the size of the 1,990 page bill. "The legislation contains a public option for health insurance which Emerson opposes, and she says the bill lacks necessary cost savings the American people deserve and require," read the release.

Conspicuously absent: 7th District GOP candidates; Not one sent out a release on the legislation. Also notable: While Skelton's office produced two releases on pork trade with China and small business financing, it had no statement on the House healthcare bill.

McCaskill Makes No Committment On Medicaid Expansion

Sen. Claire McCaskill made no commitment on her support for a provision in healthcare legislation that would expand Medicaid eligibility and shift some portion of that cost to beleaguered state budgets.

"I think we've got to look at what those costs are," McCaskill said when asked what she thought about that provision. "I think it makes sense for us to expand Medicaid, but not on the backs of the states that don't have the wherewithal to do it right now."

WATCH MORE Q & A ABOVE

As Capitol Calling's Jason Rosenbaum notes, House legislation introduced today would push up Medicaid eligibility levels to 150 percent of the federal poverty levels. Rosenbaum also has VIDEO of McCaskill earlier this year saying it would be hard to "keep the bill deficit neutral," if eligibility was expanded to even 133 percent of the federal poverty level. "I would be shocked if it stayed that high. And I would certainly support it ratcheting down slightly," McCaskill went on at the time.

***

TODAY: McCaskill again said the Congressional Budget Office would serve as her guide. "The analysis for the 10 years of the bill . . . has to be deficit neutral for me to support it," she said, when asked about House legislation.

House legislation revealed Thursday comes in at an estimated cost of $894 billion dollars, and the CBO says it will create deficits over the second five years.

STILL, McCaskill said: "It's not a good financial decision to cut people off Medicaid because we're just paying anyway."

McCaskill: Opt-Out Public Option Lets States Decide

BUT SIGNALS NO PUBLIC OPTION PREFERENCE
"Just the vegetable on the side . . ."

Sen. Claire McCaskill declined to signal what type of public option program she prefers in healthcare legislation, but said she sees merit in letting states decide.

That's the approach Majority Leader Harry Reid said he'd pursue this week: A public option would be included in the bill taken to the Senate floor, but individual states would have the choice of opting out of the program. That would mean the state legislature and the Governor would have to agree to opting out.

In an interview with Ky3 News Thursday, McCaskill said she's open to all three options being tossed around -- Opting in, Opting Out or a trigger -- but touted the merit of allowing states to make the call. "The closer we get this process to people at home and away from Washington, the better," she said.

*WATCH Q & A WITH CLAIRE ABOVE*

She also said the impact of the public option is being exaggerated because it's controversial.

"It really is just one little vegetable on the side. The huge meal is all the other reforms contained in this bill," McCaskill said.

She cited: Requiring more competitive bidding in the Medicare system and coordinating the care around primary doctors to eliminate duplicate work among specialists.

More Q & A with Sen. McCaskill on healthcare LATER . . .

Blunt: Reid Plan Is Path To Single Payer

Congressman Roy Blunt is calling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's healthcare bill a "pathway towards a single payer system," even as some of his House Republican colleagues are frustrated about the lack of a concrete GOP alternative.

"Don't be fooled by the talk of compromise," Blunt said in a statement. "Senator Reid's plan reverts right back to a pathway toward a single-payer system. Once the government is a competitor, it very quickly becomes the only competitor, limiting health care access and options for American families," Blunt added.

Meanwhile, The Hill reported Tuesday that some in the Republican caucus want the GOP to introduce their own bill, even if it has no chance of passing.

"There’s a difference of opinion over what ought to be the strategy from a political standpoint on this issue. I happen to believe we ought to have a bill," said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia.

The Hill also paints Blunt's position this way: "Prior to the August recess, Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.) the head of the GOP Healthcare Solutions Group, admitted that his party didn’t need to offer a unified plan, noting that Democrats were taking so much heat for the proposals moving through the lower chamber at that time."

McCaskill: Some Type of Public Option Plan Will Likely Pass

KEY MODERATE EXPRESSES OPTIMISM ABOUT PUBLIC PLAN
"OPT-OUT" GAINING TRACTION

Senator Claire McCaskill said Sunday that public support for a public healthcare option is growing because this is the time of year employees enroll in their benefits plans and rising premium costs are at the forefront of their minds.

"One of the reasons, I think, the polling has improved for what we're doing in Washington is that it's open enrollment period right now. And so many people are looking, once again, at another year where they're not going to get a raise because all of their raise is going to go to increased health care costs," McCaskill said.

Still, during her appearance on ABC's This Week, McCaskill acknowledged she was concerned about losing the support of moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine.

"I think, though, that the devil we know is much worse than what we're proposing to do," McCaskill said, reasserting her support for some type of public option.

A flurry of contradictory media reports late last week about the fate of the public option show how fluid the delicate legislative negotiations are for House and Senate Democratic leaders.

But McCaskill seemed optimistic that the Senate would end up voting on some type of public plan which includes either a trigger or an option for the states to opt in or out.

"I think what we're going to end up with is having votes on a number of choices: the ability for states to opt in to some kind of not-for-profit plan; the ability for states to opt out of some kind of not-for-profit plan to compete with the private insurance companies on this exchange; and then the option to trigger a not-for-profit plan if the insurance companies don't manage to bring down costs within a certain period of time," McCaskill said.

She did not stipulate which type of plans she prefers. But McCaskill said she believed Congress would pass a healthcare bill that would include some type of "public not-for-profit option among many private options."

Late Sunday CNN reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was poised to introduce a Senate health care bill with a public health insurance option that would allow states to opt out.