CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Sen. Mike Enzi said he's still optimistic about the possibility of a bipartisan health care bill — even as he accused Democrats of not involving Republicans in the legislation.
Enzi has said that Democrats are "locking Republicans out of the process."
Enzi, R-Wyo., said he opposes government-run health care. The only reason existing government programs Medicare and Medicaid aren't bankrupt, he said, is because the government has cut into reimbursement to hospitals and physicians.
But Enzi likes an idea proposed by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., to set up nonprofit cooperatives that would enable groups to put together their own health care plans.
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Enzi said he's waiting to see more details on that proposal.
Some people believe a public health care option is the only way to lower health care costs, but Enzi said he disagrees with that premise.
The public option so far has been left out of a bill drafted by the staff of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Enzi said. Also left out, he said, are provisions to make employers pay if they don't provide health insurance.
Enzi said he has pleaded with Democrats to not shut Republicans out of helping write the two sections. He said he also has asked Democrats to ignore deadlines for a health care bill — they need to take enough time to get the bill right.
He said it's the most complicated legislation he has ever worked on.
"I have never worked on a bill that affected 100 percent of America," Enzi said. "One-hundred percent of the businesses, 100 percent of the providers and 100 percent of the consumers — and it's got a lot of moving parts."
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Information from: Casper Star-Tribune - Casper, http://www.trib.com