By GREG HITT
WASHINGTON -- The Senate Finance Committee turned back Republican-led efforts to tighten abortion restrictions in health-overhaul legislation, and the Senate's top Democrat said he wants to bring a sweeping bill to the floor in two weeks.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Wednesday he expected to begin Senate debate the week of Oct. 12, which would be the biggest step forward yet for legislation designed to accomplish President Barack Obama's goal of extending health-insurance coverage to tens of millions of Americans.
Many hurdles remain before the bill is ready for debate in the Senate. Mr. Reid must referee a blending of the Finance Committee package with a more liberal bill approved by the Senate health committee. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office must come up with a price tag for the bill. And Mr. Reid must solidify support among Democratic centrists worried about the cost of the bill, which is estimated at between $800 billion and $900 billion over a decade.
Mr. Reid, however, put the Senate on notice that he wants to move quickly, saying he is cancelling a planned recess the week of Columbus Day. "I think with health care, which is really beginning to ferment, it wouldn't be right for us to be gone," he said.
In the House, Democratic leaders continued efforts Wednesday to nail down details of a bill to bring to the House floor. House leaders want to include a government-run insurance plan and are considering a proposal to require it to negotiate payment rates directly with health-care providers. That would be a concession to moderate Democrats, who had complained about a proposal to tie payments to low rates used by Medicare.
The Senate Finance Committee bill reflects efforts by Chairman Max Baucus to steer a moderate course on health policy. The Montana Democrat said he was confident the measure would win approval in committee, which is expected to wrap up action on amendments late this week. But a final committee vote may not come until next week, aides said. The delay would give the CBO time to analyze of the bill.
Among other things, the legislation would expand coverage by creating a network of nonprofit health cooperatives to compete with private insurers instead of creating a government-run plan, which Mr. Baucus joined committee Republicans in voting down on Tuesday.
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The sparring over abortion Wednesday underscored the sweep of the health legislation, which not only makes fundamental changes to a key segment of the U.S. economy, but also inflames passions on a range of social issues, from personal liberty to immigration.
Mr. Baucus said he didn't want to add abortion to the debate. "This is a health-care bill," he said. "This is not an abortion bill. We are not changing current law."
The legislation sets up subsidies for lower-income people to buy insurance and makes the subsidies subject to existing limits on federal funding of abortion. Those limits, enacted annually in routine government spending bills, bar the use of federal funds, except in cases of rape, incest and saving the life of the mother. Under the Baucus bill, private health plans would be required to prevent federal insurance subsidies from mingling with any private funds used for abortions.
But Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) said the limits in the current law could easily lapse. He called on Mr. Baucus to fold the language into the health bill, making it permanent law. "Let's codify it," he said.
Mr. Hatch also proposed requring women to get a separate insurance policy covering abortions.
Abortion-rights supporters said the rights of women were in danger. "This is not maintaining the status quo," said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.). "It is a major, major change, and a poison pill."
The Hatch amendment failed 13-10 on a mostly party-line vote. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R., Maine) joined Democrats in opposing it, while Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota was the lone Democrat in favor.
The panel also rejected an amendment Mr. Hatch said was needed to ensure the government doesn't discriminate against health-care providers who refuse to perform abortion procedures for moral or religious reasons.
Separately, the committee rejected a proposal by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), who cited the need to beef up "citizenship documentation," to require that individuals have government-issued identification when applying for Medicaid. He said the amendment was needed to curb fraud.
Democrats countered that the proposal would likely deter legitimate Americans from getting assistance.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125432435481852855.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird
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