Exclusive: Sanders joins Dems in final push for public option

By Sahil Kapur WASHINGTON -- As of Wednesday early afternoon, nine senators had signed a letter urging passage of the public health insurance option through reconciliation.

Make it ten.

Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) spokesman Michael Briggs confirmed to Raw Story that he will join Democratic Sens. Michael Bennett (CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Sherrod Brown (OH), Al Franken (MN), Pat Leahy, John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Roland Burris (IL) in a last-ditch push for the provision.

The first four co-sponsored the letter and released it Tuesday, and The Plum Line's Greg Sargent confirmed Wednesday morning that the latter four will sign, just before Burris joined the list.

"The American people have made it clear that they want the option to buy their insurance through a Medicare-type, government-run public insurance plan," Sanders explained in a statement e-mailed to Raw Story

"The public option is not just important for the individual consumer, it is an important mechanism to provide competition for the private, for-profit health insurance industry, to keep them honest, and to lower the overall cost of health care in our country," he said.

The signatories urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) to "bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules."

The public option, which has been the topic of explosive controversy throughout the health care deliberations, was passed in the House legislation but eliminated from the Senate version that was later approved.

The whole process hit a gridlock in January after the election of Republican Scott Brown to the senate, which gave the party the votes it needed to filibuster the final motion.

The letter continues, "There are four fundamental reasons why we support this approach – its potential for billions of dollars in cost savings; the growing need to increase competition and lower costs for the consumer; the history of using reconciliation for significant pieces of health care legislation; and the continued public support for a public option."

With Republicans poised to block another senate motion, Democrats have discussed using reconciliation -- which would require a simple majority of 51 senators -- to amend the bill before the House holds a final vote. A December poll found that six in ten Americans support the provision.

The liberal advocacy groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy For America have endorsed the letter, which also encourages citizens to sign in the support of the idea. One hundred and nineteen members of Congress have also signed it.

Next Thursday President Obama will convene a bipartisan summit with Republican leaders to discuss the two parties' differences on the legislation. After initially equivocating, Republicans have confirmed they will attend.