Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D.-Nev., has reportedly urged Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus to stop courting Republicans who are still reluctant to support their party’s plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
Baucus, chair the Senate Finance Committee, has worked hard to garner at least some Republican support. But Reid apparently warned Baucus that he will lose some Democratic support if he doesn’t include a “public option,” or government-sponsored health insurance plan in the final legislation. Republicans, including the ranking Republican on the committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley from Iowa, have balked at the public plan. <a href="http://www.rollcall.com/news/36546-1.html" title="From Roll Call“>From Roll Call:
According to Democratic sources, Reid told Baucus that taxing health benefits and failing to include a strong government-run insurance option of some sort in his bill would cost 10 to 15 Democratic votes; Reid told Baucus it wasn’t worth securing the support of Grassley and at best a few additional Republicans.
Roll Call did follow up on its initial story and reported Wednesday that Reid met with Senate Finance Committee Republicans and the two sides have “agreed to continue bipartisan health reform talks within the committee.”