A team of 10 Senators tasked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D -Nev.) with finding a compromise to break the impasse over a public option is looking close to home. According to the New York Times, the team is using the federal employees’ plan, which provides coverage to members of Congress, as a blueprint for a public option.
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (F.E.H.B.P) provides insurance to more than eight million federal workers through private plans, but is regulated by legislation and administered by the
Because the F.E.H.B.P utilizes private insurance companies, a compromise bill creating a similar structure for uninsured Americans is believed to be more palatable to centrist and conservative democrats than a pure public option.
