Did Harry Reid just throw in the towel on public option?

By GottaLaff

No, Harry, just... no:

During a tele-townhall with constituents today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he supports a public option...but then he added an extremely important caveat. Reid said he doesn't think the public option ought to be a government run program like Medicare, but instead favors a "private entity that has direction from the federal government so people that don't fall within the parameters of being able to get insurance from their employers, they would have a place to go."

That sounds suspiciously like Reid would prefer a so-called co-op system, which almost all reformers regard with suspicion, and many regard as a non-starter. [...]

Reid spokesman Jim Manley emails in that Reid's preference is for a "public option," but would not confirm that Reid means "public option" as commonly understood: an insurance program run by the Department of Health and Human Services or another government body.

This is unacceptable.

Howard Dean is on MSNBC as I write this, saying Ted Kennedy's health care will get done, that it will get written in the Democratic Caucus, not in committee.

Harry Reid
United States Senate
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2803

DC Phone:202-224-3542

DC Fax:202-224-7327

You can e-mail Reid here.

Tell him you want the Kennedy Option.