Patrick J. Kennedy

"We will need to perhaps trim our sails at the end," Kennedy said of the possibility of voting for a plan without the public option in order to achieve reform. "We do not need to overhaul the entire health-care system at once." He has said future improvements to any health-care overhaul can be built upon the foundation provided by the 2009 efforts.

Kennedy, who has struggled with bipolar disorder, depression and addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, has emphasized that any health-care reform passed by Congress should include provisions that will address mental-health concerns. As a sponsor of a mental-health parity bill enacted in 2008, Kennedy has lobbied for the inclusion of mental health and substance abuse benefits in all health insurance plans.

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