Word: optionable
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...reasons for that discrepancy are not to be found in the country's skies, but on the ground - the Taliban's growing footprint has forced the U.S. to be far more reliant on moving troops and supplies by air. And the rugged terrain often makes helicopters the only option, even as the altitudes involved greatly increase the risks...
...Reid himself also faces what could be a difficult re-election in 2010, which could be one of the factors driving him in favor of giving the public option a shot on the Senate floor. "This is all about his home-state politics," said one senior Democratic Senate aide. "This gets the left off his back." If he can't manage to get the public option past a filibuster, Reid could at least tell the liberals in his party that he gave it his best effort...
After a weekend of intense consultations with fellow Democrats, Senate majority leader Harry Reid has decided he has the votes to get a health-reform bill with a public option to the Senate floor. "I believe we clearly will have the support of my caucus to move to this bill and start legislating," Reid declared at a news conference Monday afternoon. The real question, however, is whether he has the votes it will take to get it out of the chamber...
...bill that Reid intends to introduce would include a public option with a so-called "opt-out" provision, giving states the ability to decide not to offer a small share of their residents the chance to buy into a government-run health-insurance alternative. Ostensibly, such a provision would appeal to moderates, who object to the public option as giving the government too big a role in health care. But in practice, it is difficult to see why any state would actually make the decision to opt out, considering that no one would be forced to buy into the public...
...Recent weeks, however, have also seen some subtle shifts in the politics surrounding the debate over whether the health-care legislation should include a public option. A new round of polls show that it continues to enjoy broad public support, and the industry's efforts to fight the bill may have backfired politically. Additionally, there are new horror stories of people being denied coverage on unfair pretexts, and reports that insurers are jacking up the rates for small business in advance of the legislation. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office recently determined that a public option could save a significant amount...