As the Senate prepares to debate the $959 billion Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, one key senator in the debate says he and others will “fight and demand a public option and a strong one at that.”

Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on ABC’s “This Week” Nov. 29 that while he voted for the bill to move to the Senate floor for debate, there are many amendments still to come, but he supports a government-run health insurance program.

Fellow Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska have both threatened a filibuster to block a final vote unless the bill’s version of the public option is dropped. The bill’s author, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), included a provision allowing state’s to “opt out” of the program by passing legislation.

A comprehensive reform bill passed by the House includes a public option and any disparity with a Senate version will have to be resolved before legislation reaches the desk of President Barack Obama for his signature.

Sanders, a supporter of the public option, told show host George Stephanopoulos that he would have to “see what ends up happening” before supporting a filibuster if the measure is not included in Senate reform.

“I’ve got about 10 separate amendments,” Sanders said. “Other people have amendments. And I think, George, I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m speaking for other senators, I’m speaking for many members of the House; we’re going to fight and demand a public option and a strong one at that.”

Sanders said his support for a public option is based on how private insurers operate and the main goal of reform: to control health care costs.

“The American people, for all the right reasons, don’t trust private insurance companies, because they understand the function of a private insurance company is not to provide health care, it’s to make as much money as possible,” he said. “One way you control costs [is] by providing real competition to the private insurance companies by allowing as many people as possible to be in a strong public option. If you don’t have that public option, I think you’re not going to have the cost containment we need. I would be very reluctant to support legislation that did not have a strong public option.”