Posted 2009/10/28 at 4:21 pm EDT
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2009 (Reuters) — Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have nearly finished a sweeping healthcare reform bill that would include a government-run insurance option and hope to unveil it on Thursday.
After weeks of negotiations to merge three pending health bills, Democratic leaders plan to make their final decisions in a Wednesday meeting and move the measure to the House floor for debate late next week, Democratic aides said.
The Senate all but finished its merger of two pending healthcare bills into one.
The House bill will include a government-run "public" insurance option that is likely to use reimbursement rates negotiated with healthcare providers, aides said.
That is a blow to House liberals, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wanted a version with lower rates pegged to Medicare, the health plan for the elderly. Pelosi failed to find the 218 votes needed to pass a more "robust" version of a government-run plan that would compete with private insurers.
The House measure would require everyone to buy insurance and include a surtax on the wealthiest Americans to help pay for the changes, Democrats said.
President Barack Obama has made a healthcare overhaul that reins in costs, regulates insurers and expands coverage to millions of uninsured his top domestic priority.
The effort has bogged down in Congress amid battles over its size, how to pay for the changes and whether to include a government-run insurance plan that Obama and liberals believe would create more choice for consumers.
Critics say the public option, which would compete with private plans on a state-based exchanges where individuals could shop for insurance, would lead to a government takeover of the sector.
Democratic leaders in the House also have been negotiating with a group of about 40 House Democrats who want to strengthen the bill's language to ensure no federal funds would be used for abortions.
Those Democrats have threatened to sink the bill or block it from moving to the floor without changes.
In the Senate, Democratic leader Harry Reid has sent a proposed merged bill to congressional budget analysts for a cost estimate. The Senate debate will begin once they report their findings.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
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