September 30, 2009

    U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid says the full Senate could start voting on health care legislation within two weeks.
     That word comes as the Senate Finance Committee works through its sixth day of hashing out health care legislation.
     As we reported Tuesday, the committee voted against creating a new government-backed "public option" to compete with private plans.
     Ithaca College political science professor Don Beachler says just because the committee defeated a public option, doesn't mean there won't be one -- there are four other health care reform bills on the table.
     Prof. Beachler thinks we'll see a final bill soon, and President Obama will sign it, with or without a public option.
     “It’ll be too hard to resist.  Because any bill they pass will do at least several things -- it'll cover more people, and it will end some of the insurance company abuses that people find most egregious,” said Beachler.
     Beachler says the final health care reform bill may have compromises, like co-ops, which are run by members, rather than the government.