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Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider

Posted: 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Senate Health Update 

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By Jamie Dupree

It's a busy day in the hallways off the Senate Chamber, as it's become clear that Sen. Harry Reid does not have 60 votes right now for a health reform bill with a public insurance option.

First, two GOP Senators who Democrats have talked about possibly supporting health reform made clear today that they are not on board.

Both Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) expressed their disappointment with Reid's decision to include a public option in an emerging Senate health reform bill.

Meanwhile, reporters besieged Democrats who have been on the fence about reform legislation to see where they stand on Reid's plan.

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) said he was inclined to allow debate to begin on health reform, but was non-committal about whether he would support a bill with a public option.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) also said he wants specifics.  He has opposed a public option, saying it cannot get 60 votes in the Senate.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) would not say if she would support Reid on a cloture vote to start debate on health reform, or if she was okay with a public option in the bill.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) also was looking for more details, as he again seemed less than supportive of a public option idea.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said he had told Reid he would support cloture to begin debate on a health reform bill, but that if a public option remains in the bill, he would not join a move to force final action.

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) told reporters he wasn't so worried about the public option idea, but rather the overall question of whether these health reform plans would run up the deficit, something Lieberman is also worried about.

Bayh indicated that if he was dissatisfied with the bill, then he would not be likely to go along with efforts to invoke cloture and end debate on a health reform measure.

So, boil all that down from the hallways, and - right now at least - Democrats don't have 60 votes on health reform in the Senate.

 
 

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