Thune: Coburn amendment to put POTUS, Congress into healthcare 'purgatory'

An amendment requiring nearly all elected officials to enroll in the public option is meant to put them into the same "purgatory" as ordinary people, said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) would force the president, vice president, cabinet members, staff and members of Congress and their staffs to join a public plan should heathcare reform pass.

"If you're gonna put the American people in that kind of a purgatory, then you've got to make sure that members of Congress feel the same sort of pain," Thune told The Hill.  "If there's going to be some sort of government-run public option that's forced upon the American people, then their elected officials ought to be under the same rules."

Coburn said the measure is intended to hold accountable a potential public health insurance option. If the president and Congress are on it, he told the Huffington Post, then they will insure it will perform well.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Coburn introduced an amendment last week that would force just members of Congress onto the plan. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) later accused the duo of barring them from co-sponsoring the amendment. Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Brown then asked for unanimous consent to be included as co-sponsors, which they were granted.

A Coburn spokesperson told Huffington Post that Democrats are encouraged to co-sponsor the measure. 

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