WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Sunday she would not support a "trigger" for a public option component in healthcare reform proposals.
Collins, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," said such "just delays the public option."
A trigger mechanism is supported by some moderate Democrats and Republicans who are opposed to the widespread establishment of a government-run alternative to private health plans, known as the public option. Under their proposals, a public option would only be "triggered" in certain areas where it can be shown that private insurers enjoy a monopoly or near-monopoly, resulting in higher premiums, analysts say.
"The people who are going to be making the determination about whether the market's competitive enough want the public option," Collins told CNN. "So I think the trigger is just a delay."
Echoing support for the public option was Sen. Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., who, appearing on the same program, said, "I think that's a reasonable way to go."
