Specter: Healthcare not 'dead on arrival' in Senate

Healthcare reform is by no means "dead on arrival" in the U.S. Senate, despite some lawmakers' insistence otherwise, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stressed on Thursday.

Although Senate Democrats have yet to finalize their bill -- and it remains unclear when Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) might unveil the finished product -- Specter cast aside claims that either his chamber's work or the House's healthcare bill was politically unworkable.

"Sometimes members of Congress are a little flamboyant in their statements," he told local KYW radio. "Saying dead on arrival gets you a headline. I believe there will be a health bill, and I believe it will have a public option."

For now, at least, Specter will get his wish: The Senate bill is likely to include some kind of opt-out public option. That differs substantively from the House bill, which provides for a government plan yet does not offer states the ability to back out of it.

But the rest of the Senate bill's specifics, including its costs, remain unknown. Nevertheless, Specter on Thursday said he hoped Reid and his fellow Democrats would permit one big change to its Medicare and Medicaid provisions before the proposal came to the floor.

"One of the ideas I'm pushing is jail sentences for people who engage in Medicare and Medicaid fraud," Specter said during his interview. "If you impose a fine, it's part of the cost of doing business. I learned from my days as district attorney of this city, jail sentences make an impact on people."

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