Obama visits Capitol to rally support for health bill

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) speaks to reporters after President Obama's visit to the Captol. (Brendan Smialowski/getty Images)

Senators huddled on the second floor of the Capitol late Sunday, haggling over the public option. Under the Office of Personnel Management's idea, national plans negotiated by the agency would be offered through state-based insurance exchanges that the Senate bill would create for small-business workers and people who do not have access to affordable coverage through an employer.

One negotiator is Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), the only member of the Democratic caucus who has pledged to oppose legislation that includes a public option in any form. Although Lieberman said the talks were preliminary, he did not rule out supporting the OPM's framework under discussion.

"If it's private, and there's no federal government financial exposure, and the government's not creating an insurance company, that's a long way toward what I've been concerned about," he said.

Nelson, another critic of the public option, was noncommittal on the compromise efforts, although he is an active participant. "There are some ideas that make a lot more sense to me than other ideas," he said.

Another key lawmaker in the mix is Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), the only Republican who has supported Democratic reform efforts. She called the OPM's approach "a very novel and innovative idea," because the agency has experience negotiating with insurance companies. Individuals without employer coverage, along with small-business workers, would have access to the OPM-administered plans, she said.

But Snowe has other concerns about the bill, such as an increase in the Medicare payroll tax for high earners, that she conveyed to Obama in recent conversations, including during a meeting at the White House on Saturday. "There are so many conversations in numerous directions. It's hard to say right now where the consensus will evolve," she said.

Democrats said they hope Obama's address will lend fresh momentum on the eve of what could prove to be a make-or-break week. "It's very easy here to get wrapped around the axle and forget about the larger significance of what this is about," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). "This affects millions of people's lives. This is a big deal."