Deal or No Deal?

Key players in Senate health care compromise say there is no deal until CBO scores it

Calling game-show host Howie Mandel: The Senate needs you.

Tuesday night, a group of 10 senators appeared to reach a deal that could give health care reform legislation the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate. The controversial public option would be jettisoned.

Instead of a government-run plan, the federal government would negotiate with private insurers to offer a national menu of plans to individuals and small businesses, similar to the options it offers federal employees. Plus, individuals between ages 55 and 64 would be allowed to buy coverage through Medicare.

By Wednesday afternoon, however, key players in these negotiations said there was no specific deal reached—only broad agreement to send a set of proposals to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO would then analyze the cost of these proposals and their impact on health insurance coverage.

Until the CBO scores these proposals, there is no specific compromise to talk about, said Senator Mary Landrieu, Democrat from Louisiana, whose vote is vital in order for health care reform to pass.

Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat from Arkansas, another key moderate who participated in the talks, said the group of senators made a lot of progress but couldn’t go any further in crafting a final deal until they get the CBO’s analysis.

“There’s a lot of things on the table still,” Lincoln said.

So much for a breakthrough.

It looks like President Barack Obama may have jumped the gun earlier Wednesday when he said “the Senate made critical progress last night with a creative new framework that I believe will help pave the way for final passage and a historic achievement on behalf of the American people.”

If it is a framework, it appears to be made out of cardboard.