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We’ve received a few more answers from Senators to the four questions Health Care for America Now, Democracy for America, and Open Left have been asking on the public health insurance option. For those who need a refresher, those questions are:
- Do you support a public healthcare option as part of reform?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that is ready on day one?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to our government?
- Do you support a public healthcare option that has the clout to establish rates with providers and big drug companies?
As Chris Bowers notes, the latest answers – all yeses from Senators Cardin and Cantwell – puts the tally at 43 Senators on the record in favor of a public health insurance option.
Senator Cantwell, on the nationally syndicated Bill Press Show, endorsed the HELP version of a public health insurance option, putting her as a yes for all four questions.
And Senator Cardin answered the four questions directly via email. Here are his answers:
Do you support a public healthcare option as part of reform? Yes. A public option – which is about who pays for the system and not who provides the medical care – should be available to provide quality, affordable health insurance to individuals who do not have access to coverage through an employer or other means.
Do you support a public healthcare option that is ready on day one? Yes. We need a strong public option to help foster competition and help drive down costs; we simultaneously must improve and support employer-based, private insurance coverage.
Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to our government? Yes. There should be low-cost, quality options for those who cannot afford private insurance, and we must give small businesses an affordable way to cover their employees.
Do you support a public healthcare option that has the clout to establish rates with providers and big drug companies? Yes. We need a strong public option to help foster competition and help drive down costs.
We hope to hear from more Senators on where they stand shortly. The full chart of answers is available below the fold.
Likely Supporters
| STATE/SENATOR | Public Option? | Available Day One? | Nationally Available? | Can Bargain for Rates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK – Begich (D) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) |
| AR – Lincoln (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| AR – Pryor (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA – Boxer (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA – Feinstein (D) | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CO – Bennet (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CO – Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CT- Dodd (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| CT – Lieberman (I) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| DE – Carper (D) | Maybe | |||
| DE – Kaufman (D) | Yes | |||
| FL – Bill Nelson (D) | Maybe (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| GA – Isakson (R) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| HI – Akaka (D) | Yes | |||
| HI – Inouye (D) | Yes | |||
| IA – Harkin (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| IL – Burris (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IL – Durbin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IN – Bayh (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| LA – Landrieu (D) | Maybe | No | No | No |
| MA – Kerry (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MA – Kennedy (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| MD – Cardin (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MD – Mikulski (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ME – Collins (R) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| ME – Snowe (R) | Maybe | |||
| MI – Levin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MI – Stabenow (D) | Yes | |||
| MN – Franken (D) | Yes (HCAN signer) | |||
| MN – Klobuchar (D) | Unknown | |||
| MO – McCaskill (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MT – Baucus (D) | Maybe | |||
| MT – Tester (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NC – Hagan (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ND – Conrad (D) | Maybe | Yes | No | Yes |
| ND – Dorgan (D) | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| NE – Ben Nelson (D) | Maybe | |||
| NH – Shaheen (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ – Lautenberg (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ – Menendez (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NM – Bingaman (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| NM – Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NV – Reid (D) | Yes | |||
| NY – Gillibrand (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NY – Schumer (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| OH – Brown (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| OR – Merkley (D) | Yes | Yes (via email) | Yes (via email) | Yes (via email) |
| OR – Wyden (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| PA – Casey (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| PA – Specter (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| RI – Reed (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| RI – Whitehouse (D) | Yes | |||
| SD – Johnson (D) | Unknown | |||
| VA – Warner (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | No | Dodges (via email) |
| VA – Webb (D) | Yes | |||
| VT – Leahy (D) | Yes | |||
| VT – Sanders (I) | Yes | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| WA – Cantwell (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WA – Murray (D) | Yes | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill)) |
| WI – Feingold (D) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WI – Kohl (D) | Maybe (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| WV – Byrd (D) | Unknown | |||
| WV – Rockefeller (D) | Yes | Yes |
Likely Opposition
| STATE/SENATOR | Public Option? | Available Day One? | Nationally Available? | Can Bargain for Rates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK – Murkowski (R) | ||||
| AL – Sessions (R) | ||||
| AL – Shelby (R) | No | – | – | – |
| AZ – Kyl (R) | No | – | – | – |
| AZ – McCain (R) | No | – | – | – |
| FL – Martinez (R) | No (via email) | – | – | – |
| GA – Chambliss (R) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IA – Grassley (R) | No | – | – | – |
| ID – Crapo (R) | No | – | – | – |
| ID – Risch (R) | ||||
| IN – Lugar (R) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| KS – Brownback (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KS – Roberts (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KY – Bunning (R) | No | – | – | – |
| KY – McConnell (R) | No | – | – | – |
| LA – Vitter (R) | ||||
| MO – Bond (R) | ||||
| MS – Cochran (R) | ||||
| MS – Wicker (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NC – Burr (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NE – Johanns (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NH – Gregg (R) | No | – | – | – |
| NV – Ensign (R) | No | – | – | – |
| OH – Voinovich (R) | ||||
| OK – Coburn (R) | No | – | – | – |
| OK – Inhofe (R) | ||||
| SC – Demint (R) | No | – | – | – |
| SC – Graham (R) | No | – | – | – |
| SD – Thune (R) | ||||
| TN – Alexander (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TN – Corker (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TX – Cornyn (R) | No | – | – | – |
| TX – Hutchinson (R) | No | – | – | – |
| UT – Bennett (R) | No | – | – | – |
| UT – Hatch (R) | No | – | – | – |
| WY – Barrasso (R) | No | – | – | – |
| WY – Enzi (R) | No | – | – | – |
