LEWISTON — U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said Thursday she will continue to work for health care reform, though she may not vote for the legislation.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal United States Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe, talks with the Sun Journal editorial board about health care Thursday morning at the Sun Journal.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal United States Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe, talks with the Sun Journal editorial board about health care Thursday morning at the Sun Journal.
"I'm going to continue to make all the improvements that I can, within the capacity of my position, and whether I can support it in the end or not," she said during a meeting with the Sun Journal editorial board.
"There are a number of issues that are still at stake for me on this, beyond the public option, and I am going to continue to work through those issues," she said.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a health care bill last weekend. Senate Democratic leaders are now merging bills from two committees into one piece of legislation for the full Senate's vote.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, has said he expects the Senate bill to include a version of the so-called "public option," a government-run health care plan in which states could choose to participate.
Snowe said that despite public opinion polls showing support for a public option in Maine and nationwide, she believes it's not the best way to reform the system.
"It seems to me, it's more appropriate to allow the private sector to demonstrate it has the capacity to offer affordable rates under a restructured market," she said. But she understands why people mistrust the private insurance industry, which has continued to raise premiums by double-digit percentages each year.
Under the reforms included in both House and Senate bills, insurance companies would no longer be able to refuse coverage to people for pre-existing conditions or to be charged different rates depending on their gender or age, or to place lifetime caps on coverage, Snowe said.
She continues to support a "trigger," which would kick in if private insurance companies fail to meet coverage and affordability standards established by the federal government, she said. It's a proposal she's been pushing since the spring.
"The incentive of the threat of a trigger could be sufficient enough to prompt them to offer affordable plans and be very competitive," she said.
The coverage that would be triggered if insurance companies failed to comply with the standards would not be government-run. It would be a nonprofit with negotiated rates, not government-set rates.
Snowe believes Sen. Reid will have a tough time rounding up the 60 votes needed to move his bill forward. Many moderate senators, Republicans and Democrats, have aired concerns about the proposals that have been made so far, some even have suggested that the bill should be completely re-written.
Snowe, who spent months working daily on crafting the bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee, said she welcomes all suggestions for improving the legislation.
"It's so important; if anyone has a viable alternative, I say, 'I welcome it,'" she said. "If someone has an instant solution, I welcome it. If they can achieve the same goals we're attempting to accomplish, like in the finance bill, making a good-faith effort, then fine. But you can never get to a point in a committee process where you're ever going to get a perfect bill."
She will continue on the path to improving the bill, despite the difficulties, she said.
"I take a lot of criticism for being where I am," she said. "I have to sort of balance that all out, with my obligations to my constituents and so on, sorting out the need here in this state and across this country, finding good policy that works."
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