A public health insurance option to compete with private insurers is one way to reform America’s health care system, but not the only way, according to one Pennsylvania congressman.

Paul Kanjorski

Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) told the Pocono Record that the public option is “very important,” but “I don’t know if it’s essential to get health care passed.”

“We have to move it down the road,” said Kanjorski, who serves on the House committees on oversight and government reform, capital markets, and financial services.

Kanjorski told the newspaper that the most important thing is reform providing universal access to insurance, regardless of pre-existing conditions, and controlling costs, echoing a message President Barack Obama delivered to Congress last week.

The congressman noted that health care accounted for 11% of the U.S. gross domestic product during the administration of President Bill Clinton, but now stands at 17% and rising.

“If you do nothing, you’re on your way to bankruptcy,” Kanjorski told the Record. “Everyone tells you that. Businesses tell you that. You can actually save money by having a more organized and effective health care system.”

Regarding health insurance exchanges, where individuals and small businesses can select from a group of insurance companies, an option already used by Congress and federal workers, Kanjorski said he supports greater competition in the marketplace.

In Northeastern Pennsylvania, he pointed out, only two or three insurance companies operate, where in Washington, D.C., federal employees can select from 90 insurance companies for their coverage.

“If you put the same program in Northeast Pennsylvania there’s no competition,” Kanjorski said. “I don’t think people around the country understand what a public option is. I see the merit of something that could cause competition among insurance companies.”