Medicare "Buy-In" Unlikely to Survive in Senate
Last Updated: 2009-12-15 16:04:38 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats said they would probably drop a compromise to expand the Medicare health program for the elderly as they struggle to win the 60 votes needed to pass a broad healthcare overhaul.
After a meeting to find agreement on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority, Democratic senators said on Monday they were determined to pass the bill by a self-imposed end-of-year deadline.
That means dropping a compromise plan to allow those between the age of 55 and 64 to "buy-in" to Medicare, they said, after Senator Joe Lieberman threatened to join Republicans in blocking any bill with the proposal.
"It is a matter of getting the support of 60 senators and that seems to be a condition to get to 60," Baucus told reporters about dropping the Medicare "buy-in" plan.
The plan was announced a week ago as part of a compromise aimed at overcoming objections by moderates to a government-run "public" insurance plan.
The other part of the compromise, which would replace the public option with a non-profit approach featuring private insurers and run by a federal agency, was expected to survive, senators said.
"Put me down tonight as encouraged at the direction in which the discussions are going," Lieberman said after the evening meeting, which he attended. "But it ain't over till it's over."
Democrats have no margin for error. They control exactly 60 of the 100 votes and cannot afford to lose Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, or any other member as they begin a potential make-or-break week for the bill.
Many other Senate Democrats, including potential defector Ben Nelson, are waiting for cost estimates on the potential compromise before making their final decisions.
'DIFFERENCES OF OPINION'
"There are differences of opinion in the caucus," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said after the meeting. "But we all stand shoulder to shoulder in the belief that healthcare reform is necessary."
Obama invited all 60 members of the Senate Democratic caucus to the White House on Tuesday to discuss a way to reach agreement.
Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, a liberal supporter of a public option as a means to ensure competition for insurers, said he would back the bill even without it.
"That's reality. There's enough good stuff in the bill that we should move ahead with it," he said.
Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, who has backed some reform efforts and could replace Lieberman as the 60th vote if he defects, and Nelson also have voiced doubts about the Medicare plan.
Lieberman said he was concerned about the financial impact of the proposal for buying into Medicare and on the prospects of growing government involvement in the sector.
"I have been focused on trying to get the bill back to its strong core and take off some of this stuff that runs the risk of creating federal debt and moves toward a government takeover," Lieberman told reporters.
The Senate has spent two weeks debating the measure, which would extend coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans and halt industry practices like refusing coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Obama has pushed the Senate to complete work on the bill this year to avoid the issue slipping into next year's congressional election campaigns.
The Senate bill would then have to be reconciled in early January with a version approved by the House of Representatives on November 7.
To finish in the Senate by Christmas, Reid must file a series of procedural motions this week to cut off debate and move to a final series of votes.
"I've compromised a long way, so has everyone. Right now, we're down to the final hours, and hopefully we can find a way forward with 60 Democrats," moderate Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu said.
Nelson has said he wants stricter limits on the use of federal funds to pay for abortions in the bill. He has been working on the issue with Democratic Senator Bob Casey.
"We're working that out," Casey said of the abortion issue.
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
