Public Option Not Vital to Health Care Reform, Teamsters’ President Hoffa Says

[Better Believe It]

-Hoffa doesn't speak for most of the labor movement and some question whether he even speaks for most Teamsters members and officers on this matter -

Public Option Not Vital to Health Reform, Teamsters’ Hoffa Says
By Holly Rosenkrantz
September 4, 2009

Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Teamsters President James Hoffa said dropping the so-called public option wouldn’t be a “deal killer” for health-care legislation, signaling a split among leaders of unions that are a core constituency of President Barack Obama.

“We’ve got to find out what’s doable,” Hoffa, head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” which airs today. “I think it’s important to get something done this time and declare a victory.”

Hoffa’s position adds to debate among Obama supporters over how best to accomplish an overhaul of the U.S. health-care system, the president’s top domestic priority. Richard Trumka, who takes over as president of the 11 million-member AFL-CIO this month, said Sept. 1 that a government-run insurance program known as the public option is an “absolute must.”

There are no litmus tests when it comes to health-care legislation, Hoffa said. Dropping the public option is “not a deal killer,” the leader of the 1.4 million-member Teamsters union said. “The goal is to go after those 50 million people that don’t have health care.”

The Teamsters is one of seven labor unions that left the AFL-CIO federation in 2005 because of disagreements over priorities. Hoffa said he doesn’t expect the unions, which formed a rival coalition called Change to Win, to reunify with the AFL-CIO, even after reconciliation talks this year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8D03Ah4QAaU

--------------------------

HUNT: Well, you talk about health care. Let me talk about that. Are there any litmus tests? Does a health-care plan have to have a robust public option for the Teamsters to support it?

HOFFA: I don’t think so. I think it’s important to get something done this time and declare a victory. I think the goal is to go after those 50 million people that don’t have health care. I think that’s the goal.

And I think there’s a lot of things that people want to do, but right now we’ve got to find out what’s doable and if we can get - offer insurance to those people on some type of basis where they enroll and get these people health care, I think that’s a victory right now.

HUNT: So you’d like a public option, but it’s not a deal killer?

HOFFA: It’s not a deal killer for me -

HUNT: Okay.

HOFFA: - and I think what we’ve got to do is to move on, but we want to get those 50 million people insured in one way or the other and then move on. I think that’s a victory for the president.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aeqWcIrUiam0

[lyonn]

1. So Hoffa, how do you plan to get those 50 mil insured? nt

[Better Believe It]

2. By mandating private insurance. Perhaps Mr. Hoffa hopes for some kickbacks