Snowe disappointed by elimination of 'trigger'

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says she's "deeply disappointed" by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision press for a government-sponsored health insurance plan.

Snowe, a Republican, has said that she prefers a "trigger" option that would allow a government plan only if the private market fails to lower costs on its own.

But Reid said Monday he wasn't sending that trigger option to the Congressional Budget Office for evaluation. Instead, his proposal would let individual states opt out of the government plan.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also opposes a government-run plan. She says it could "further exacerbate the cost-shifting that already drives up premium costs for consumers."