August 27th, 2009

Reports the Pocono Record:

Congress will pass health care reform that includes a government-run program to compete with private insurance, Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., predicted Wednesday morning.

Specter told a friendly audience of Monroe County Democratic activists that the so-called public option is the only way to prevent profiteering by private insurance companies. The public option is the most controversial element of proposals to provide health insurance for the estimated 45 million Americans without it.

“Without the public option we are not making them as thoughtful as they should be about holding down costs,” Specter said.

He emphasized that no one will be required to enroll in a government insurance program. Final legislation will increase health insurance options for everyone, including self-insured people who don’t belong to an employer plan, Specter said.

“This exchange will give you access to a wide variety of companies and give you the public option as well,” he said.

Specter, a longtime Republican who became a Democrat this year, said he is confident three or four Senate Republicans will help provide the 60 votes needed to bring a bill with the public option to a final vote.

Final health legislation will reduce costs by increasing early disease detection, preventing onset of chronic ailments among patients at hospitals for other treatments, encouraging employer prevention programs, increasing research, and increasing penalties for fraud, said Specter.

He said health reform will prevent insurance companies from rejecting patient claims based on it being a pre-existing condition before coverage began.

Read more at the Pocono Record.