Battle Lines Emerge in Senate Over Health Care Reform

JIM LEHRER:

The fight over health care reform shifted to the U.S. Senate today. The House approved its bill over the weekend, but prospects for passage in the Senate remained unclear.

"NewsHour" health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser has our lead story report.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

The battle lines had already been drawn by the time that the Senate came into session today.

Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin:

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, D-Ill.:

This still is the only industrialized country in the world where a person can literally die for lack of health insurance. And that's what we face in this debate about health care reform. There are lots of opinions. I salute the House for passing the measure, sending it over here. And we will hear those opinions expressed in the Senate in the weeks and months to come.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

Nebraska Republican Mike Johanns.

SEN. MIKE JOHANNS, R-Neb.:

The government mandates and taxes and all of the other things that are going to be burdened upon health insurance policies are going to cause the premium to rise. We're saddling policies with huge new fees and taxes and mandates.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

The debate took on new import late Saturday night, after House Democrats pushed through their version of the bill.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-Calif.:

The yeas are 220. The nays are 215. The bill is passed.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

The House measure would extend coverage to 36 million Americans who are now uninsured. Nearly every American would have to obtain health insurance by 2013. And companies would have to cover employees, though small businesses would be exempt.

The bill would also fund insurance exchanges to let those without coverage shop for a plan. A government-run insurance option would be included. And there would be subsidies to help lower-income people buy coverage.

But, today, Republican Senator Charles Grassley said the House bill was a nonstarter.

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, R-Iowa:

The House bill gives me very, very much concern of health care going in the wrong direction, more towards government control of health care completely. The House is dead on arrival in the Senate, not because we're going to have a vote on it or because anybody has got to come to that conclusion.

There's been two separate Senate bills, and I think the work of the Senate, we want to proceed with ours and settle any differences with the House in conference.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

And Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid has been meeting behind closed doors with fellow Democrats for weeks. The fact that Speaker Pelosi, who has such a large majority in the House, passed the bill with just two votes more than she needed could serve as a warning sign to Democratic leaders in the Senate. Over the weekend, it became clear that Majority Leader Reid could have a real struggle on his hands getting the 60 votes he needs to start debate on health care reform.

One of the major stumbling blocks for Republicans and some moderate Democrats is Reid's decision to include a public option in the Senate bill. He hopes to win over the moderates by letting states opt out of the government-run program.

But, on Sunday, Connecticut independent Democrat Joe Lieberman renewed his promise to oppose any bill that includes such an option.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, I-Conn.:

If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

On the other hand, Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed expressed confidence an overhaul in the Senate would pass.

SEN. JACK REED, D-R.I.:

Senator Reid, Harry Reid, has introduced a public option. There's strong support there. But we are far from the end of the debate in the Senate. It will take time. It will be careful, thorough and deliberate. I hope that a public option is part of the final bill.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

Beyond the public option there are other issues that could roil the Senate debate, including abortion. At the last minute, the House blocked the use of federal subsidies to buy insurance that covers elective abortions. And it could effectively bar policies on the insurance exchange that cover the procedure.

The restrictions were aimed at winning over abortion opponents. But it touched off protests today at the Capitol. Publicly, at least, White House officials took the back-and-forth in stride today. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said, they're focused on the end game.

ROBERT GIBBS, White House press secretary: The president wants to sign health care before the end of the year.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

There's still no word on when the Senate will try to take up its version of the bill. Majority Leader Reid has not released full details yet. His office says he's still waiting for a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.