The following response was sent by Jessica Barba, on Tom Perriello's staff, to Fred Hudson, Chair of the Congressional 5th District Democratic Committee, who then broadcasted it to the Committee's email list.
Congressman Perriello has not come out against a public option in the health care reform bill. He has repeatedly made the case and continues to believe that a properly designed, robust public option would be an important component of creating the competition to drive down skyrocketing premiums.
He remains opposed to the overall House proposal because he wants to see stronger cost-cutting measures and deeper reforms of the perverse incentives of the current health system. For him, the goal is to bring down costs across the system and provide a way for the uninsured to have access to a doctor they can afford.
Congressman Perriello believes a public option can be an important part of reform to the extent that it advances that major goal of reducing costs. However, there are components and omissions in some public option proposals that would not meet this standard. This is consistent with President Obama's position on the public option, which he believes is a valuable tool to create choice and competition.
