Senate Reform Race Begins

SenateMajority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) finally ended weeks of mysteryabout his health care reform bill on Wednesday night, setting the stagefor a historic debate that could begin this week if he can get aninitial OK from all 60 members of the Democratic Conference.

Atfirst blush, Reid scored a coup with his $849 billion bill, becauseDemocrats said the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it wouldslash the deficit by a whopping $777 billion over the next 20 yearswhile providing insurance for an additional 31 million Americans. Theprice tag is also less than the $900 billion President Barack Obama hadcalled for and the $1.2 trillion cost of the House-passed version.

However,one Senate Democratic leadership staffer acknowledged that the costestimate did not even represent an official preliminary score from theCBO but was a representation of “preliminary feedback” that Reid hasgotten from the nonpartisan Congressional agency. The staffer said Reidexpects an official number from the CBO later Wednesday night.

Reidhad predicted Tuesday that people would be “impressed” by his effort,and most Democrats did end up giving him rave reviews.

“Hewas applauded. His staff was applauded,” said Senate Budget ChairmanKent Conrad (D-N.D.), a deficit hawk who said Reid did “anexceptionally good job.”

Themore liberal Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) agreed that the measure appearedto address most of the concerns Senate Democrats had before Reid mergeda Senate Finance package with a competing measure approved by theSenate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

“Where there has been a difference [between the two panels], the leader chose the right difference,” Kerry said.

Kerryacknowledged, however, that Democrats would still be eager to changethe bill even more if it survives a GOP-led filibuster designed toprevent debate from starting. He noted that the expansion of Medicaidwould need to be tweaked to satisfy many Senators, including himself.

Butbefore Reid briefed the Democratic Conference on the bill Wednesdayevening, the Majority Leader attempted to get a head start in gainingthe votes of a trio of troublesome Democrats who have yet to commit tothat critical procedural vote to bring the bill to the floor.

Reidsummoned Sens. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Ben Nelson (Neb.) and MaryLandrieu (La.) to a special preview of his bill earlier in the day,before the full Democratic Conference got to see it at 5 p.m. Thoughnone was prepared to endorse the measure, Senate Democratic aides saidReid is increasingly confident he will have the votes necessary tobegin debate on the bill. If the GOP-led filibuster is successful, theSenate will not be able to bring the measure up for debate andamendments.

Reidtold reporters after the special caucus that “the finish line is reallyin sight,” and he called his bill “a tremendous step forward.”

BesidesReid’s optimism, there were other signs that he would ultimately getthe three wavering centrists to come aboard despite their reservationsabout Reid’s decision to include a public insurance option that allowsstates to opt out.

Ina statement that appeared to indicate he is leaning toward voting withReid, Nelson said those who claim a vote for an arcane and routineprocedural motion is akin to endorsing the bill are misleading people.Nelson, a moderate who insisted he is still undecided, said a vote tokill the GOP filibuster of the motion to proceed is just a vote tostart debate, not a vote to pass the bill.

“Somewho define it as a vote in favor of the Reid bill are misinformed, orare intentionally trying to mislead people. ... And some who define itas the last chance to stop bad legislation have a political agenda:They want to kill any health care bill Congress considers this year forleverage in next year’s Congressional elections,” Nelson said.

Nelson said that the motion to proceed is simply a motion to commence debate and an opportunity to begin amending the bill.

“Whywould you stop Senators from doing the job they’re elected to do —debate, consider amendments and take action on an issue affecting everyAmerican?”

Sen.Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) sounded hopeful that the other Democrats wouldcome around. Dodd led the HELP Committee’s consideration of its healthcare overhaul last summer, filling in for the late Chairman EdwardKennedy (D-Mass.).

“Theseare serious people who in a couple of cases have worked on this for along period of time. They are not outliers. ... My sense is leave somespace. They know all the questions, they know all the answers, let themsettle on where they need to be in all of this.”

Doddalso said he believes that some form of public option will survivedespite filibuster threats from Republicans and Sen. Joe Lieberman(ID-Conn.). The words “public option” are pretty flexible, Doddsuggested.

“Thosewords alone embrace an awful lot of thought and alternative ideas thatwould quote arguably qualify as a public option,” Dodd said. “Is itopt-out, is it opt-in, is it a trigger, is it a co-op? ... I thinkbefore you decide I’m never going to be for that, I think you need toknow what you are talking about.”

Asof press time, it appeared that Reid would start the procedural clockticking Thursday in order to hold the initial test vote on Saturday.However, aides said they held out hope that an agreement could bereached to hold the vote earlier. Reid is hoping to adjourn the chamberfor the Thanksgiving recess this weekend, but he has kept open thepossibility of keeping Senators in town next week to get debate rollingon the measure.

ASenate leadership aide said Reid’s overhaul bill would slash thedeficit by $127 billion in the first decade and a stunning $650 billionin the second — numbers that would make the bill by far the best atclosing the long-term budget gap of any bill produced to date in eitherchamber.

Reidtold reporters: “We’re not going to add a dime to the deficit. In fact,quite the opposite. We’re going to cut the problems we have with moneyaround here by as much as three-quarters of a trillion dollars.”

Butanother senior Senate Democratic aide noted that the large savings theinitial bill would produce gives Reid substantial wiggle room toaccommodate other policy objectives on the way to securing the 60 votesneeded to break another expected filibuster on final passage of thebill.

Reidalso attempted to assuage the concerns of organized labor, which hadbalked at the Senate plan to tax high-cost, or “Cadillac,” insuranceplans by raising the limit on what kinds of plans would be taxed. Healso included exceptions for workers in high-risk jobs, such asconstruction workers and police officers — many of whom are in unions.

Tomake up for the lost revenue, Reid also raised the threshold for taxinghigh-cost health care plans. He decided to include increased Medicaretaxes on couples making more than $250,000, Conrad said.