The Associated Press, Washington, [removed]reports[/removed] on October 14 that Sen Olympia Snowe (R-Me), the only Republican to support the Finance Committee’s health care bill, said she could foresee a government-run plan that would "kick in" if private insurers fail to live up to expectations.

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The article says that Snowe still opposes the so-called public option, but said she believes the private insurance market must yield a system in which health coverage becomes more widely accessible and affordable.

Snowe told the AP there were elements of the bill she still opposes, but that "we can’t postpone the inevitable." She said her constituents in Maine "want me to do what’s right for the country and the state."

Snowe, who lost her parents to illness at a relatively young age, told AP she believes something has to be done to improve the health care delivery system.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Source: [removed]AP[/removed]]