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A new study shows health disparities cost Texas billions of dollars; Senate rejects impeachment articles against Mayorkas, ending trial against Cabinet secretary; Iowa cuts historical rural school groups.

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The Senate dismisses the Mayorkas impeachment. Maryland Lawmakers fail to increase voting access. Texas Democrats call for better Black maternal health. And polling confirms strong support for access to reproductive care, including abortion.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Public Option Back on the Table in DC?

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Friday, January 29, 2010   

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A congresswoman from Maine is joined by a congressman from Colorado in a new push to put the "public option" back on the health care negotiating table. They say the idea is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, and has the support of Connecticut Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine's 1st District) and Jared Polis (D-Boulder) brought the idea to their party leadership Thursday. Polis recommends the House to pass the Senate bill in its current form, as well as a so-called "fix it" bill, which only addresses provisions with a financial impact. That's the bill he wants to include the public option.

Polis says the public option is key to reform, adding the popularity of the reform bills began to slide when the public option was removed.

"That's when all this talk of new taxes came in - all these other things that aren't only unpopular, but are bad policy in a recession."

Some lawmakers, including Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, fear a public option would be too costly and unfair to insurance companies. However, a December Reuters poll found about 60 percent of the public supports a public option for health care. Polis calls it an important part of keeping overall costs down and giving people more choices.

"It's a critical component of reform, because when you talk about any kind of mandate, people want to make sure you're not forcing them to go to the very insurance companies that have been bilking them all these years."

Such a bill would only require 51 votes to pass the Senate under a process called reconciliation. Some moderate Democrats have said they oppose passing health reform through reconciliation, but Polis believes the Senate has the 51 votes needed for passage.




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