GOP’s Sen. Collins open to health care bill

A second Republican senator signaled Wednesday she’s open to voting for sweeping health care legislation this year, putting President Obama closer to a historic achievement that has eluded generations of Democratic leaders.

But Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, told the Associated Press that the bill approved Tuesday by the Finance Committee needs substantial improvements to make coverage more affordable, contain costs and protect Medicare. Nevertheless, she joined her Maine GOP colleague Sen. Olympia J. Snowe in endorsing the goal of far-reaching changes.

“My hope is that we can fix the flaws in the bill and come together with a truly bipartisan bill that could garner widespread support,” Ms. Collins said in an interview. “I think this bill is far superior to the ones passed by the Senate (health) committee and the three House committees, but it needs substantial additional work.”

The 10-year, $829 billion Finance bill was approved by the committee Tuesday on a 14-9 vote, after Ms. Snowe broke ranks with her Republican colleagues to support the middle-of-the-road plan from Sen. Max Baucus, Montana Democrat and chairman of the committee.

On Wednesday, Ms. Snowe tackled the most divisive issue still on the table: creation of a government insurance plan that would compete with private ones.

While emphasizing that she still opposes the so-called public option, Ms. Snowe said in a nationally broadcast interview that she could foresee a government-run plan that would “kick in” if private insurers failed to live up to expectations that they keep premiums in check.

“I think the government would have a disproportionate advantage” in the event of a government-run option, Ms. Snowe acknowledged. At the same time, she added, “I want to make sure the insurance industry performs, and that’s why we eliminate many egregious practices.”

If the industry didn’t follow through on congressionally-mandated changes aimed at making health care more affordable, she said, “then you could have the public option kick in immediately.”

Ms. Snowe previously had proposed using the public option as an incentive, or a threat, to private insurers. This “trigger” option, or some version of it, has survived the bitter debate and scrutiny to remain a viable option for compromise.

Such a statement from a Republican can be very influential in an environment in which GOP lawmakers almost universally have opposed any kind of government-run health care option to compete with private insurers. It represents a break in party solidarity, even if finite. Health care proposals advanced in the House include such a government option.

Ms. Snowe broached her standby notion again as talks among lawmakers on health care were going back behind closed doors. Senate leaders are trying to merge two very different bills into a new version that can get the 60 votes needed to guarantee passage.

Ms. Collins, however, said she could not support Ms. Snowe’s idea because she thinks it would make it too easy for a Democratic administration to impose a government plan nationwide. “It would simply delay the public plan for a couple of years,” she told AP.

The White House dispatched Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter R. Orszag and other top advisers to Capitol Hill for afternoon meetings on combining the bills.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, told reporters that it was unlikely that the House would vote before the first week of November. He said he expected a vote by Christmas but was making no guarantees.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, has said he wants move quickly to merge the Finance bill with a version passed earlier by the Senate health committee. His goal is to get health care overhaul legislation onto the floor the week after next.

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