Today, Senator Russ Feingold spoke from the floor of the U.S. Senate in favor of a strong public option as part of the health care reform package currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. During his speech, Senator Feingold spoke about how affordable, quality health care has consistently been one of the top issues raised at his listening sessions over the past 17 years and cited that over 75 percent of Americans, according to a poll released yesterday, support the public option.

As a freshman Senator, I worked to increase access to long-term care and home and community-based services in the Wisconsin tradition during the 1994 attempt at health reform, because I knew how valuable these programs were to my constituents.  I continued to fight for real and fair access to affordable prescription drugs by speaking up for seniors during the debate on creating Medicare Part D.  I ended up not voting for Part D because I knew it would help pharmaceutical companies before it helped seniors.  And for years, I tried to get the Senate to address the issue that was foremost in the minds of my constituents.  Frustrated by the inaction, I teamed up with Senator Lindsey Graham to introduce legislation that sought to break the logjam blocking health care reform legislation. While Senator Graham and I had very different ideas about what reform should look like, we agreed that further delay was unacceptable.  I know that some of my colleagues are now arguing that health care is being ‘rushed’ through the Senate.  Well, that’s not my experience, and I think the Wisconsinites who have been talking about the need for reform for years would agree.

That is why I am so excited that the Senate is preparing to consider health reform legislation, and I look forward to reviewing the bills that the HELP and Finance Committees are expected to report shortly.  As this debate goes forward, I remain committed to reforming our health care system so that every single American is guaranteed good, affordable health care coverage.  

Today, I want to talk about one of the most important elements of any reform, and that is a strong public health insurance option.  Frankly, I am disappointed that this has become the topic of so much controversy, because it is such a fundamental part of making sure we provide the reform that my constituents, and all Americans, deserve.  Some have even suggested scrapping a public option in the interest of passing a bill with bipartisan support.  I want to pass health care reform and I hope very much we can do so with bipartisan support.  But I am not interested in passing health care reform in name only.  I am not interested in a bill that allows us to somehow tell our constituents we have done something but doesn’t really address their concerns.  We need real reform, and real reform means a strong public option.

And Americans want a public health insurance option. According to a recent poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal, over three fourths of those polled said they would like the ability to choose between public and private health insurance plans.  Providing a public health insurance option that does not discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions and illnesses will significantly improve the ability of people to access health care.

There are millions of Americans who can tell you that the current so-called “competitive” market didn’t work so well for them, because they were denied coverage from the outset or given a benefit plan that covers everything but the diseases they actually have.  Health insurance should not be a privilege – but in today’s insurance market, that’s actually what it is. Those who are healthy enough to be approved for coverage, or wealthy enough to afford it, are too often the privileged ones who receive health care.  We must shift the competition back to where it should be – on the health insurers competing to provide better coverage at a more affordable rate.  A public health insurance option, if done right, will help shift the insurance market so that plans focused on what is best for the patient thrive, instead of plans simply focused on the bottom line. 

Just a few weeks ago, Geri Weitzel from Durand, Wisconsin shared her story with me.  Geri’s husband suffers from renal failure.  His medicine and care cost hundreds of dollars each month, and the family has thousands in medical debt. Geri is doing her best to make ends meet for her family, but sometimes has to choose between paying the monthly mortgage on their home or her husband’s medical care – without which he will die.  Geri told me that she came to Washington, D.C. to share her story because her husband is “choosing death over debt.”  She worries that they will lose their home, and they have already lost their savings – but above all, she worries that she will lose her husband.  With a strong public health insurance option, we can ensure that Geri and her husband can afford policies that cover their medical bills, and can focus instead on getting well.

A strong public health insurance option is one the public can depend on to be available, regardless of pre-existing conditions, place of residence, income, age, sex, health status, or job status.  It’s an insurance option that will be focused on helping the sick get the treatment they need instead of turning the biggest profit for shareholders.  It’s also an insurance option that will help the public invest in wellness, disease prevention, primary care, and chronic disease management. A public option will help ensure that, no matter what, people have access to a health insurance plan that meets their needs.

One of my priorities in the health care reform debate – and one of my priorities throughout my time in the Senate has been is fiscal responsibility.  It’s not enough to pass a bill that expands coverage – we need to do so in a way that reins in runaway health care spending and ensures that taxpayer dollars are not wasted.  That’s another reason why we need a strong public health insurance option, because it will help keep costs down – for individuals, for employers, and for the government.  Citizen Action Wisconsin estimates that a strong public health insurance option operating in a health exchange could save Wisconsin employers – both private and government – over $1.1 billion each year.  For the average Wisconsin family, currently paying around $13,500 a year in health care premiums, this translates to a 33% savings, lowering their premiums to just over $9,000 a year.

This is real savings, and would have made a big difference to Danine Spencer of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.  Danine has had a tough four years, recovering from multiple conditions which doctors expected to leave her a quadriplegic for life. Danine credits the medical professionals at Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee with helping her reclaim her mobility, and in many ways, her life.  But while Danine has already made incredible progress, she still has a long way to go.  Fortunately, Danine qualified for disability and Medicaid benefits to cover her medical costs, but she wants to be independent.  She wrote me a letter in which she says she “wants to get off disability very, very badly.  I am horribly ashamed that I collect a government check every month.  But as it stands, I simply cannot afford private health insurance.”  Danine writes that she has “heard a ‘public option’ health insurance plan would sharply lower costs for people like me, she said.  Please put everything you have into making sure it is a part of the health care reform bill.” Danine has already overcome incredible challenges.  She wants to purchase health insurance but is denied that benefit by the existing system. A public health insurance option would help ensure that Danine is guaranteed affordable, high-quality health care.

Too often, Americans are at the mercy of insurance companies when it comes to paying premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and deductibles.  While I commend the growing efforts of select insurers to increase transparency, for the most part, consumers have little idea how much procedures cost, where premium dollars go, and whether you are truly getting the best value for your dollar.  A public health insurance option would serve as a benchmark competitor for premiums, administrative costs, and benefits packages.

A strong public health insurance option is consistent with a healthy private market and effective private insurance plans.  We have several insurers that operate in my home state of Wisconsin that provide great health coverage to their beneficiaries. Responsible insurers should have no trouble competing with a public insurance option on the merits of their plans. But a strong public health insurance option will provide a powerful incentive for less responsible insurers to re-evaluate their own cost-sharing and benefit plans to ensure they are actually an attractive option for consumers.

There is another benefit of a public health insurance option which hits particularly close to home.  My hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.  Recently, our GM assembly plant ceased production, and other related businesses throughout the community are struggling to stay afloat during these tough economic times.  Of course, these challenges are shared by many other communities across the state of Wisconsin.  A public health insurance option would be invaluable to families in Janesville and other parts of the state who have recently been laid off, because it is a guaranteed, affordable option that can travel with an individual from job to job.  A public health insurance option would also make a tremendous difference to our small business owners who face crippling health care costs while trying to keep their businesses open.

Health care reform cannot wait.  The President has said that he wants a health reform bill on his desk by this fall, and I will work hard with my colleagues to make sure we send him a good bill that guarantees every American high-quality, affordable health insurance, and that includes a strong public health insurance option. After so many years of delay and inaction, now is the time to act."