Progressive stalwart Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) offers buy in to Medicare as public option

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), a progressive stalwart, will not rest until Americans have access to a public health care option.

On Tuesday the congressman introduced the Medicare You Can Buy into Act, H.R. 4789. The bill would permit legal American residents under 65 to enroll in Medicare by paying a fee.

"America needs a public option," Grayson declared on the House floor, that's why I've introduced this bill," noting the lack of competition in the private insurance industry. He said that the plan is not dependent on subsidies given that everyone would pay their own costs.

The Florida Congressman spoke of an adversarial relationship he had with his insurance company when his bills skyrocketed during the premature birth of his twins. He said many Americans face similar problems, and that every penny they spent on his children’s care was a penny less for their profits.

In his floor speech he branded insurance companies as operators of the real death panels due to their widely-known practices of denying care to people with pre-existing conditions and canceling coverage for sick patients.

Watch video of Grayson's speech on the House floor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XGJHOYuxw