Combined bill could be introduced this week

By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid is facing intensifying pressure from liberal lawmakers to revive a proposed government insurance plan before health-care reform legislation reaches the Senate floor, amid signs that moderate Democrats may be warming to the idea.

Two versions of the “public option” were rejected by the Senate Finance Committee as potentially too great a threat to the insurance industry and the coverage it provides to millions of families and individuals. But the idea has gained momentum in recent weeks as Democrats look to ensure that the policies Americans would be required to buy would be affordable.

A small team of Senate negotiators, led by Reid (D-Nev.), is crafting a blueprint for reform that combines the finance panel’s legislation with a more liberal Senate health committee bill that includes a government plan. The House measure, now under negotiation in that chamber, also includes a public option.

On Tuesday night, in a closed-door session with rank-and-file Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said she is close to counting 218 votes for a public plan linked to Medicare rates, the version preferred by liberals in both chambers, according to Democrats attending the meeting. But Pelosi said a final decision will not be made until Democrats meet again Wednesday. New estimates show that the House could construct a package with a “robust” public option for about $871 billion over the next decade, according to a Democratic source.

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