Facing a congressional district with one of the highest percentages of uninsured residents in New York City, Rep. Yvette Clarke has backed off on pushing for a public option and will vote for health care overhaul – as soon as this weekend.
As much as 30 percent of New York Congressional District 11 in Brooklyn is uninsured, according to the city’s department of health. This is the same as the South Bronx neighborhood, and a much higher percentage than the Upper East and West Sides in Manhattan.
“This week, we are going to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare,” said Clarke on Wednesday.
But when Clarke voted for the House-version of the bill back in November, she, like other Democrats, proposed the need for a public option.
She said of the November bill: “This bill provides healthcare coverage to 96% of Americans and includes a strong public option that will provide the needed competition to lower premium costs.”
That version of the bill would have provided employer-based coverage for 367,000 of her constituents in Brooklyn, provided credits to help pay for coverage for up to 160,000 households in her district, and allowed 11,900 individuals in the district who have pre-existing medical conditions to be able to purchase affordable coverage, according to Clarke.
The Senate-version of the health care overhaul, however, stripped away the public option. That, along with other items the Senate stripped away, has caused some House Democrats to become resistant toward the latest overhaul efforts.
One such lawmaker was the scrappy Democrat from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, who just this week finally threw his support behind the health care overhaul.
While the House is still short on votes, Kucinich’s much-anticipated announcement boosted Democratic confidence that they will secure the necessary votes to pass the much-needed bill in Clarke’s district.
Republicans continue to refuse supporting such a health care overhaul.
“It’s now or never,” said Clarke last November, months being challenged on the bill by the removal of a public option.
She added: “We will never get an opportunity like this again in our lifetime.”