It all started with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who is slumping in the polls back home. With the loss of Senator Olympia Snowe with his idea of including the public option, or if you listen to Nancy Pelosi, the consumer option in the plan, Senator Snowe said she would no longer support the plan, bringing the Republican totals to 40 in the senate. With several Democratic Senators including Senator Landrieu, Senator Nelson, and Senator Bayh, Senate Majority Leader Reid saw his ability to pass for cloture on the bill including the public option sliding away. So he had this idea that he could include the public option in the bill, and at first he wanted only to give that option to Nevada, then Senator Landrieu got wind of this and wanted.
Senator Snowe, had an idea to include the option but with triggers. Meaning that if certain events did not occur by certain times, the public option would begin, however that has been ridiculed by Senator Reid.
So now there is this idea of including the public option but allowing states to opt out. However, the people of the states would still have to pay with taxes for the program even though their states may not offer the program.
Once again proving that the public option has nothing to do with providing competition for private companies but rather existing to force them out of business.
dmk
Conservatism, I repeat is not an ideology. It does not breed fanatics....But if you want men who seek, reasonably and prudently, to reconcile the best in wisdom of our ancestors with the change which is essential to a vigorous civil social existence, then you will do well to turn to conservative principles-Russell Kirk-