Source:
US News and World ReportThe AP reports that "after weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits two key Democratic priorities but incorporates provisions to slow the explosive rise in medical costs." The deal was likely to "exclude a requirement many congressional Democrats seek for large businesses to offer coverage to their workers" and a "provision for a government insurance option." The Wall Street Journal says that "individuals familiar with the negotiations suggested" Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus "would like to unveil a deal later this week. But unclear Monday was whether" ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley "would sign onto the deal and pave the way for committee action next week."
The New York Times, in a front-page article titled, "Health Policy Now Carved Out At Table Of Six Moderates," says that if the six senators "can pull off a grand bargain, it will have to be more conservative than the measures proposed by the House or the left-leaning Senate health committee. And that could force Mr. Obama to choose between backing the bipartisan deal or rank-and-file Democrats who want a bill that more closely reflects their liberal ideals."
The New York Times notes that GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe, one of the six Finance Committee negotiators, said the deal "would affect not just 'gold-plated Cadillac' plans costing $40,000 a year. Instead, Ms. Snowe said, senators might draw the line 'in the vicinity of $25,000." The Hill says the US Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of the Senate negotiations "is as much a swipe at House Democrats as it is an offer of support for Baucus and Grassley's months-long effort to hammer out an agreement on legislation that can attract more than 60 votes in the Senate."
more:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090728.htm
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