U.S. House health care plan to include public option: speaker

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives would pass a health care reform bill that includes a government-run insurance plan, said the House speaker on Thursday.

"I fully support a public option," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. "A public option will be in the bill that passes the House of Representatives."

Pelosi made the remarks at a Capitol Hill press conference a day after Senate's Finance Committee issued its version of health care system overhaul plan, which does not include an aim of creating a new government-run insurance plan -- or option -- to compete with the private market.

Health care reform plans earlier released by three other House committees and Senate Health Committee all endorsed the public option, while Wednesday's plan was considered more moderate with more possibilities to win bipartisan support.

Pelosi did not set a timetable for her floor to vote on the bill, but said "I want the president to be able to sign a bill this year."

She also noted that the House is not waiting for the Senate to vote on the legislation first, which she said is not good enough to help the less fortunate.

"We're not making a decision to go after them," she said.

In addition, she warned that some latest statements opposing President Barack Obama's health care reform plan had created a "frightening" political atmosphere like in the late 1970s.

"This kind of rhetoric was very frightening and it gave -- it created a climate in which violence took place and so I wish that we could all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made," she said.

Tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration in front of the Capitol Hill on Saturday, protesting against the health care reform plans proposed by the Obama government and congressional Democrats.