Democrats weighing public option ‘trigger’

Senate Democrats seem to be growing increasingly fond of the idea too. Among them is Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who told audience members at a forum this week, “If we don’t see more competition
in the system, we might revisit it down the road.” Warner has previously signaled his skepticism of the public option.

But this would hardly be the first time Congress has weighed a public option “trigger.” Back in May, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee, suggested lawmakers delay a full-scale public option until it had exhausted its options to reform the private sphere. He was joined soon after by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who reportedly advanced his version of the idea in June, which would have set the “trigger” deadline 10 years after the health insurance bill passed.

Ultimately, it remains unclear whether the renewed push for the public option “trigger” will satisfy the Democratic Party’s liberal members, who want a robust public option, as well as the Republican Party’s fiscal conservatives, who regard the public option as a threat to health care itself.