Hours before President Obama was set to deliver a make-or-break speech on health care reform, a top Senate negotiator conceded the government-run insurance program so dear to the president's supporters cannot pass the Senate.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who was trying to hammer out the details of a bipartisan compromise Wednesday with five other senators, announced that he would be moving ahead with or without Republican support.
But he made clear that the so-called "public option" would not be part of any deal with his name on it.
"The public option cannot pass the Senate," Baucus said. "I could be wrong, but it's my belief that the public option cannot pass."
Obama, who will address a joint session of Congress at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, has indicated he wants a public option, but so far has not said he will demand it. He also has not said he will veto a package that omits a government-run health insurance program.
Baucus' assessment Wednesday afternoon is the latest blow to die-hard supporters of a government plan.
Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has so far favored a system of non-profit cooperatives as an alternative to the "public option." A draft plan he outlined Tuesday included the co-ops. Baucus also said Wednesday that a so-called "trigger," which would keep a government plan on reserve in case private insurers don't meet certain benchmarks, has not been part of talks -- though many analysts consider a trigger a possible compromise. - FOX News Story
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