Administration officials said they still hope for a bipartisan breakthrough on Obama’s far-reaching goals of expanding health coverage, controlling costs, and increasing competition among insurers.
“The president believes strongly in working with Republicans and Democrats, independents, any that seek to reform health care,’’ White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday. “The president strongly believes that we’re making progress.’’
A key Senate Democratic negotiator, Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, said his group of three Democrats and three Republicans “is on track to reach a bipartisan agreement on comprehensive health care reform’’ that can pass a divided Senate. Baucus said the negotiators, dubbed the “Gang of Six,’’ will hold a teleconference today to continue their talks.
His Republican counterpart, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, has recently come under fire for his harsh public statements about the Democratic proposals. But Grassley said yesterday that he is not giving up, either, although he did not sound nearly as optimistic as Baucus.
“Something as big and important as health care legislation should have broad-based support,’’ Grassley said. “So far, no one has developed that kind of support, either in Congress or at the White House. That doesn’t mean we should quit. It means we should keep working until we can put something together that gets that widespread support.’’
Privately, however, top Democrats said a bipartisan accord seems less likely than ever. Administration officials and congressional Democrats were deeply discouraged this week when key Republican lawmakers seemed more critical than ever about various Democratic-drafted health care bills pending in the House and Senate. As a result, Democratic leaders are preparing strategies for a possible one-party legislative push soon after Congress reconvenes next month.
Officials said Democratic researchers have recently concluded that a strong-arm Senate tactic, which could negate the need for any GOP votes, might be more effective than previously thought.
The strategy, called reconciliation, allows senators to get around a bill-killing filibuster without mustering the 60 votes usually needed.
