Obama presses Democrats on health-care bill
SEEKS SUPPORT IN CAPITOL VISIT
Consensus emerging on public option, Reid says

By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 7, 2009

President Obama made a rare Sunday visit to the Capitol to urge afractious Democratic caucus to pull together to pass landmarkhealth-care legislation.

Obama made no mention of a government-run insurance plan, abortionor other key issues that lawmakers are attempting to resolve inclosed-door meetings, including a Sunday evening gathering to addressthe public option. Instead, he used the 45-minute session to stress theSenate's "historic opportunity to provide stability and security forthose who have insurance, affordable coverage for those who don't, andbring down the cost of health care for families, small businesses andthe government," White House spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid(D-Nev.) told reporters after the meeting that negotiators were inchingtoward consensus on the public option. He said he still aims to hold afinal vote on the $848 billion package before the chamber adjourns forthe Christmas break.

"There are still a few things we need to work out in the bill, butthe issues are being narrowed as we speak," he said. "Progress is beingmade, and that's not just talk."

After working through the weekend, the Senate will reconvene Mondayfor an eighth day of debate and potentially the first controversialamendment, addressing the issue of abortion coverage. After theabortion vote, expected Monday or Tuesday, the Senate could tackleanother high-profile amendment: a bipartisan bid to allow theimportation of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.

Meanwhile, 10 moderate and progressive Democrats tapped by Reid areexpected to continue daily meetings aimed at reaching a compromise onthe public option, along with improving small-business provisions inthe bill.

One potential alternative being discussed Sunday would create anational coverage plan operated by private insurers but run by theOffice of Personnel Management, which administers health coverage forfederal workers. Senators participating in the talks said the OPM ideahad been well received across the ideological spectrum, althoughdetails were sketchy. "I think it has potential," said Nancy-AnnDeParle, Obama's top health aide.

Meanwhile, on the issue of abortion, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), working with Sen. Orrin G. Hatch(R-Utah), planned to offer an amendment Monday to bar federal moneyfrom being used for the procedure under the legislation. The amendmentwould mirror language adopted in the House on Nov. 7, over the strongopposition of abortion-rights groups. It would prohibit any public planfrom covering abortion services, and would bar people who receivefederal subsidies from using the money to buy plans that offer abortioncoverage.

Democratic abortion opponents have not said what they will do if theamendment fails, as is expected. Nelson is the most outspoken of thegroup, and he has sent mixed signals in recent days. Although Nelsonhas often asserted that he cannot accept the current language onabortion, and at times threatened to filibuster the measure over theissue, he has also said he might be open to an alternative if it meetshis underlying objective.

"I'm not going to start working against the language that I'm goingto bring forward," Nelson said. "If it doesn't get passed, there aregoing to be people talking, but it certainly is not a lock that there'slanguage in the middle. . . . I'm not going to negotiate against myselfat this point."

Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.), another Democrat who opposesabortion, said that he would support Nelson's effort, but that theissue would not make or break his vote on the bill.

"We've got to get this done to demonstrate that we can get somethingthis substantial done, even in a difficult economy and in a difficultpolitical environment," Casey told reporters after Obama's meeting withthe senators.

Senators huddled on the second floor of the Capitol late Sunday,haggling over the public option. Under the Office of PersonnelManagement's idea, national plans negotiated by the agency would beoffered through state-based insurance exchanges that the Senate billwould create for small-business workers and people who do not haveaccess to affordable coverage through an employer.

One negotiator is Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman(I-Conn.), the only member of the Democratic caucus who has pledged tooppose legislation that includes a public option in any form. AlthoughLieberman said the talks were preliminary, he did not rule outsupporting the OPM's framework under discussion.

"If it's private, and there's no federal government financialexposure, and the government's not creating an insurance company,that's a long way toward what I've been concerned about," he said.

Nelson, another critic of the public option, was noncommittal on thecompromise efforts, although he is an active participant. "There aresome ideas that make a lot more sense to me than other ideas," he said.

Another key lawmaker in the mix is Sen. Olympia J. Snowe(Maine), the only Republican who has supported Democratic reformefforts. She called the OPM's approach "a very novel and innovativeidea," because the agency has experience negotiating with insurancecompanies. Individuals without employer coverage, along withsmall-business workers, would have access to the OPM-administeredplans, she said.

But Snowe has other concerns about the bill, such as an increase inthe Medicare payroll tax for high earners, that she conveyed to Obamain recent conversations, including during a meeting at the White Houseon Saturday. "There are so many conversations in numerous directions.It's hard to say right now where the consensus will evolve," she said.

Democrats said they hope Obama's address will lend fresh momentum onthe eve of what could prove to be a make-or-break week. "It's very easyhere to get wrapped around the axle and forget about the largersignificance of what this is about," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). "This affects millions of people's lives. This is a big deal."