Conservative Democrat Jim Marshall not in favor of Public Option.

U.S. Congressman Jim Marshall is a Democrat who opposes the public option when it comes to health care changes. He is touring the 8th Congressional District to explain his views. Marshall met with a group of doctors and administrators at a hospital in Warner Robins.

He says he wants to hear what they have to say about proposed changes to the health care system. In recent days Marshall and other conservative Blue Dog Democrats have come out against the so-called public option. Marshall says he is opposed to it because he thinks it could result in purely public services and be too costly. He also believes the change to the system would be too drastic.

"Most major health care reforms that have occurred in other countries, and in this country, have started with the system that exists in that particular country, what the country is familiar with, and migrated at that point to a better place than where you were, but not a wholesale change." Marshall says a public option should only be triggered if the private system isn't working. Federal officials have hinted that they may back off from a public option in order to pass any reform. Marshall will hold two town hall meetings with his constituents in the next week to see what they think about his position. Conservative Democrats like Marshall could be crucial in writing any passable health care reform bill.