Free Republic

The Washington Examiner points out that even if your state does opt-out - you're paying for it anyway: Reid acknowledged that a plan to charge a tax on expensive health insurance plans has been changed in his plan to include family plans worth more than $23,000 per year, instead of $21,000. Those taxes and others required to fund the $6 billion public option would be collected from all states, including those that opt out of the plan.

Democratic senators continued to remain bullish on the chances of creating a government-run public option as part of healthcare reform. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted Sunday that last week's Medicare doc fix vote was a sign of trouble to come for Democrats in trying to rally enough votes to push through a government-run health insurance option. Senate Democratic Caucus chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is very close to getting the 60 votes needed to move forward with a healthcare reform bill in the Senate. Schumer echoed the calls of...