Guest Blog by Rep. Ben Ray Luján: The Public Option and Budget Reconciliation

This is a guest blog by U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat who represents New Mexico's Third Congressional District in Northern New Mexico.

For almost a year, health insurance reform has been under intense debate in Congress. It has been a difficult and tumultuous process with sharp highs and lows. Throughout the process, I have stayed true to the principles for health insurance reform that I set out early in the debate, and I still believe that a public option is an important piece of health insurance reform. The obituaries for health insurance reform and a public option have been written and rewritten in the past months, but I believe that we have an opportunity to finish the job and pass the reform we want.

As you know, I joined a majority of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass legislation with a public option. During the debate, I spoke on the House floor and urged my colleagues to demand a public option in the final legislation. I fought for the inclusion of a public option because it will help cover more people and lower costs. But the Senate did not include it in their legislation, and the loss of the Senate seat in Massachusetts has made the path to reform more difficult.

Despite all of what we have heard over the past few weeks, I believe that we still have the opportunity to pass health insurance reform with a public option, but only if we keep fighting. And with that in mind I signed a letter with many of my colleagues in the House asking Congressional leadership to consider including a public option in health insurance reform, potentially through the budget reconciliation process.

Health insurance reform will help more people get coverage and drive down costs for those with coverage. A public option is the best way to get more people covered, drive down insurance costs, and hold insurance companies accountable. A public option will take on health insurance companies who have been allowed to take advantage of hardworking people for too long by denying or rescinding the coverage you’ve paid for when you get sick. And the public option will help contain costs, saving taxpayers up to $110 billion while forcing insurance companies to compete for customers.

With Congress still considering reform proposals, the path forward is far from certain. What is certain, however, is that the public option is effective, needed, and popular. This provision will help us cover more people, while saving us money.

We still have a chance to pass the reform that we want, and it’s time to speak up.

This is a guest blog by Rep. Ben Ray Luján. To submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, click on the Email Me Link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.