The Lieberman Factor: Buy Affordable Health Insurance While He Blocks Public Option

Over the past week or so, the public option has been on a roll. Democratic leaders of Congress have insisted that some form of a public option be included in their healthcare reform bill, considering it an essential step in providing the nation with more affordable health insurance. It wasn’t going to be an easy battle. Senator Joe Lieberman has expressed his opposition to such a government-run plan. The independent senator–who used to be a Democrat and still caucuses with the party–cites budget concerns as his primary reason for rejecting it, and believes it isn’t the right time to go into even deeper debt. A less charitable view is that he wants to continue receiving funds for his re-election from major health insurance companies, many of which are headquartered in his home state of Connecticut. Only Lieberman himself knows his motivations for sure.

Lieberman has stated that he will vote with Harry Reid in the initial procedural vote that allows the bill on the full Senate floor for further debate, but vows to be part of the inevitable Republican filibuster against any final bill that includes the public option health insurance plan. Leaders should take him seriously, since he’s well-known for switching sides: he even campaigned for John McCain during last year’s presidential campaign. Nobody said getting 60 votes in the Senate would be easy; don’t be stuck without a health insurance plan in the meantime.

(Image: Official U.S. Senate Portrait)