WSJ has an interesting article about the Democrats planning on splitting the health care bill. For some reason I have always thought this was the way to go. The health care bill would be split into the part that will be easy to get 60 votes including Republican votes and then the hard part that may even include the public option where there would only require 51 votes (50 Democratic Senators plus Biden).
http://online.wsj.com/...
How the Democrats are considering splitting the bill.
The Devisive part through reconciliation:
Most legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, but certain budget-related measures can pass with 51 votes through a piece of parliamentary sleight-of-hand called reconciliation.
In recent days, Democratic leaders have concluded they can pack more of their health overhaul plans under this procedure, congressional aides said. They might even be able to include a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers, a key demand of the party's liberal wing, but that remains uncertain.
The Uniting part requiring 60 votes:
Other parts of the Democratic plan would be put to a separate vote in the Senate, including the requirement that Americans have health insurance. It also would set new rules for insurers, such as requiring they accept anyone, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. This portion of the health-care overhaul has already drawn some Republican support and wouldn't involve new spending, leading Democratic leaders to believe they could clear the 60-vote hurdle.
Harry Reid will decide on whether this will happen and according to WSJ this route will be the VERY LAST route taken.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the key decision-maker on whether to use the tactic, but several congressional aides said White House officials are being kept abreast of the talks. "We will not make a decision to pursue reconciliation until we have exhausted efforts to produce a bipartisan bill," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Mr. Reid. "However, patience is not unlimited, and we are determined to get something done this year by any legislative means necessary."
The Senate is SERIOUSLY thinking of splitting the bill:
Privately, those involved in the talks now say there is a 60% chance the split-bill tactic will be used. Mr. Obama is huddling with aides next week, and Senate leaders are likely to review their options when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day.
What may happen on September 15th:
If a deal is not reached by mid-September, Mr. Baucus plans to present a bill that is likely to have little if any Republican support. At that point, Democrats will have to decide whether to proceed under the reconciliation process, which allows legislation to pass with a filibuster-proof 51 votes.
I remember reading an article by Mike Lux at Huffingtonpost. He knows the Senate rules. He even mentioned this possibility a few days ago. He thought this is probably what will happen.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
The conference committee simply breaks the bill in half, one half being the less controversial part that everyone agrees upon, the other being the public option and the financing, both of which can go through the reconciliation process. Then Obama and Reid muscle the 50 votes they need for support.