(Host) Former Governor Howard Dean says he won't support the final version of health care overhaul if the so-called "public option" provision is weakened.

The House is expected to begin debating the bill later this week.

VPR's Bob Kinzel reports.

(Kinzel) For several months, Dean has taken a leading role in the health care debate, urging members of Congress to include a strong public option plan in the final version of the legislation.

Both the House and Senate are expected to consider different versions of a health care reform bill in the next few weeks.

Speaking on VPR's Vermont Edition, Dean said he backs the approach taken in the House because it contains more effective insurance reform measures and because the bill incorporates a strong public plan that will give consumers the option of enrolling in a government run program:

(Dean) "The House bill is actually fairly good. The Senate bill is a little weaker. But if the Senate bill were to pass and be enacted into law, it would be a step in the right direction. There is a public option - it's a so-called "opt out." States can get out of it if they want to. I think that will happen in very few cases and I think it's a decent bill."

(Kinzel) The "opt out" approach is one of several different public plans under consideration in Washington.   Another one would require states to vote to "opt in" to the public program.

A third possibility is known as the trigger approach. It would delay the implementation of a public plan for several years to give the private health insurance industry a chance to reduce the number of uninsured Americans.

Dean says the "opt in" approach and the trigger plan are a waste of time:

(Dean) "This makes no sense at all. It's basically a gimmick by the insurance industry to forcibly require Americans who want health insurance to go through their industry and give up 27 or 37 percent of their premium dollars to the pockets of insurance companies. That's what they do.... They're always about preservation of the status quo. So the trigger is completely worthless and I would advocate voting against the bill if a trigger appears in it."

(Kinzel) The House and Senate are expected to pass their own versions of a health care reform bill by Thanksgiving.

Then a special conference committee will attempt to negotiate a compromise plan. That plan would then be submitted to both the House and the Senate for a final vote.

For VPR News I'm Bob Kinzel in Montpelier