WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the U.S. House of Representatives works to bring comprehensive health insurance reform legislation to the floor for a vote, today U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Lois Capps (D-CA), Jane Harman (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) spearheaded a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), signed by over 50 House Democrats, to pronounce their support for a public option to be included in the House bill.  Members who signed the letter are affiliated with a broad spectrum of caucuses, including the Progressive Caucus, the Blue Dog Coalition, the New Democrat Coalition and Members who don’t belong to any ideological caucus.

The Members wrote:  “We write to reiterate our strong commitment to health insurance reform legislation that includes a robust public health insurance option that will provide greater choice and lower costs for American consumers by injecting much needed competition into the health insurance marketplace.  When weighed against other ideas, the public option remains the most effective tool to bring about competition, choice, efficiency, transparency and cost reduction in the marketplace.”

In 1980, the U.S. spent more than $250 billion, or 9 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), on health care.  In the decades since, that figure has grown to more than $2.2 trillion (16.2% of GDP).  By 2018, it is expected to nearly double again to $4.3 trillion (20.3% of GDP).  Also during this time, the American people have seen premiums more than double since 2000 while wages have stagnated.  DeGette, Capps and Murphy argue that including a public option in a health care reform bill will provide more choice in the marketplace and save money in our health care system.

“A public health insurance option as part of comprehensive health insurance reform is an effective way to ensure competition,” said DeGette, Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “With health costs rising faster than wages, competition in the health insurance marketplace will make health care more affordable for consumers. I am confident that the majority of our Caucus is supportive of a public option.”

“To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of the public health insurance option are greatly exaggerated,” said Congresswoman Capps.  “The strong support for the public health insurance option is alive and well as demonstrated by our letter signed by Members representing the wide ideological spectrum of our diverse Caucus.   Our letter makes clear that the best way to ensure competition and bring down health care costs is by making available a robust public health insurance option.”

“There is no alternative to a robust public option.  No one is talking about a government takeover of our health care system.  But a public option—when seen as a market mechanism to foster competition—is the best way to control costs and rein in insurance company excesses,” said Harman.

“Day by day, more and more Members are figuring out that the public option is the key to keeping the cost of the bill down.  This letter isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list of those who support the public option, but it does have broad cross-ideological support in the caucus,” said Murphy.