Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | November 13, 2009, 1:50PM

Hillary Clinton, Sec. of State

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

• CNN, State Of The Union: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod; Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH); Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT).

• Fox News Sunday: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

• NBC, Meet The Press: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Rev. Al Sharpton.

Health Care

Do or Die: The Six Senators Who Will Decide the Fate of Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | November 9, 2009, 1:46PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faces a number of obstacles to passing health care reform but his main task is to keep his caucus united for not one, but two, supermajority votes, just to get the reform bill an up or down on the Senate floor. Failure to get 60 votes to push past either of those two procedural chokepoints could derail the reform bill. Here are the six key holdouts Reid must wrangle to reach the magic threshold.

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Health Care

Pryor: Reid Has Tried To Find The Middle-Ground Among Dems--But Has He Succeeded?

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 5:38PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) hosted a meeting of moderate Democrats this afternoon, including Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Kent Conrad (D-ND), to compare notes on health care legislation. But, as is becoming a common theme around these parts, they say there's not much to discuss until they can see the bill with a CBO score.

After the meeting adjourned, I asked Pryor whether he and fellow moderates had sympathy for the idea, articulated most frequently by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had found the correct middle ground in his caucus by including a public option in the final bill. "I know that Harry Reid has tried to find the center of the caucus. I don't know that he has, I'm not saying he hasn't. But once we actually see this bill and know what's in there, we'll talk about it as a caucus," Pryor said.

Pryor suggested that there may be some number from CBO early next week, but was careful to note that those were merely rumors. If he's right, though, we will know plenty more in the days ahead.

Health Care

MoveOn Targeting Democrats Considering Health Care Filibuster

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 11:35AM

As Christina mentioned yesterday, MoveOn is targeting the conservative Democrats in the Senate suggesting they may vote with Republicans to filibuster a health care bill.

Radio ads will run in Arkansas and Louisiana, directed at Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA). You can hear the Landrieu ad below.

Accompanying the radio spots will be a broader direct mail campaign aimed at Lincoln and Landrieu, but also at Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the only Republican on the list.

Lincoln, Landrieu, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will also be faced with polling data showing that the public option is popular among their constituents, who do not want to see them obstructing the passage of a reform bill.

Health Care

Conrad: House Health Care Bill Much Improved

Brian Beutler | October 29, 2009, 6:48PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) let it be known in numerous ways that early versions of the House health care bill would not meet his budgetary muster. Now, with CBO saying the House bill is a long term deficit reducer, Conrad has some very kind words for it.

"Much improved," Conrad told me. "It's now paid for, has deficit reduction over the first 10, and savings over the second 10...that's a big improvement. I commend the House. They've made significant strides and they deserve credit for it."

"They did make this sound from a budgetary standpoint, far more sound, and in terms of the public option, they no longer have it tied to Medicare levels of reimbursement which is, as I see it, terribly unfair to the low reimbursement states," he added.

One consequence of not tying the public option to Medicare? The CBO predicts that average premiums will be higher in the public option than in private plans.

Health Care

Nelson, Conrad Say Dems, White House Leaning Toward Including Public Option In Senate Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | October 22, 2009, 2:16PM

If this is accurate, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) gets a medal for prescience and Sen. Olympia Snowe's decision may be made for her. Two high profile conservative Democrats are saying they hear that Senate and White House health care negotiators are leaning toward including the public option in the base bill that they bring to the Senate floor.

"I keep hearing there is a lot of leaning toward some sort of national public option, unfortunately, from my standpoint," said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE). "I still believe a state-based approach is the way in which to go. So I'm not being shy about making that point."

"What I'm hearing is this is the direction of the conversation," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).

Reid's office is not commenting on the speculation. But if Nelson and Conrad's understanding is correct it would be bombshell news. Reid and the White House have been under intense pressure from the Democratic base to include a public option in the bill that comes to the Senate floor. If they accede, it would all but assure that if a health care bill os enacted by Congress, it will include a national public option. We'll pay close attention

Health Care

The Big Huddle: Where Health Care Goes From Here

Christina Bellantoni | October 19, 2009, 6:30PM

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)

Top Senate Democrats are huddling behind closed doors this evening with key White House advisors in hopes of crafting a health care bill that hits one big magic number: 60.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is the referee between Sen. Max Baucus' more conservative bill and Sen. Chris Dodd's more liberal one, and the White House deployed chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and presidential health care adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle.

It's a merger meeting extraordinaire.

The group has been quiet on goals for the evening, and the White House has taken a step back from official comments to let the Senate do its business. Aides know it's now in Reid's court to come up with a bill that can keep his caucus in line, though Hill staffers want President Obama to lay out his dealbreakers.

The group is under pressure to get a deal done quickly, but they also are attempting to avoid the media spotlight as dozens of reporters camp outside Reid's senate office.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | October 16, 2009, 3:23PM

Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod.

• CBS, Face The Nation: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH).

• CNN, State Of The Union: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

• Fox News Sunday: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove, former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe.

• NBC, Meet The Press: White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), California First Lady Maria Shriver, Center for American Progress president John Podesta.

Health Care

Conrad Settles Into Familiar Role: 'Hard To See How A Public Option Gets The Votes'

Brian Beutler | October 15, 2009, 1:44PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Before members of the Senate Finance Committee were forced to go on the record about the public option, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) refused to state a personal opinion on the question calling it "moot," and focusing all of his efforts on advancing a system of private, non-profit co-operatives instead.

Since then, though, Conrad's message has changed slightly, though he still says a public option will be a hard sell in the Senate. In response to a question from TPMDC, Conrad said it's "hard to see" where the public option gets the votes.

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Blanche Lincoln

Blanche Lincoln Mum On Opt-Out Public Option...For Now

Brian Beutler | October 9, 2009, 5:45PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Only three Democrats voted against both "robust" and modest public option amendments to the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill: Kent Conrad (D-ND), Max Baucus (D-MT), and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).

We caught up with Conrad and Baucus yesterday--but what about Lincoln?

For now, Lincoln isn't commenting on the plan--a common refrain on the Hill given the extremely fledgling nature of the proposal. We should know more next week, though. The Finance Committee will vote on its bill Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid will kick off the process of merging the Finance and HELP Committee proposals. And the shape of the bill that reaches will have a tremendous bearing on the fate of this, or any number of other, potential changes to it.

Kent Conrad

Conrad Mum On New Opt-Out Public Option Proposal

Brian Beutler | October 8, 2009, 12:56PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

I just caught up with Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and asked him about a new idea floating around the Hill that would give states the choice to opt out of a national public option. Just, how nascent is the idea?

Here's what he said: "I've heard about it, I've not seen one...I was in a group like this somebody talking to somebody else, kind of raising it."

Does it sound like something that you could support?

"Honestly, I just don't know enough about it," he said.

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Health Care

Rockefeller's Public Option Amendment Fails; Schumer's Public Option Up Next

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 2:43PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

After debating all morning and well into the afternoon, the Senate Finance Committee voted against an amendment, written by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that would have added a public option to the panel's health care reform bill.

The final vote was 8-15 with 5 Democrats--Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)--voting with all Republicans to kill the proposal.

Next up, Chuck Schumer's more modest public option proposal.

Health Care

Rockefeller Says His Public Option Would Save $50 Billion Over 10 Years

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 10:25AM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced his public option amendment before the Senate Finance Committee. In making the pitch to the panel's skeptics, he's noted that it will save the federal government about $50 billion over 10 years, and would be, as its name implies optional--i.e. it's not a "government takeover" of health care.

Late update: To the chagrin of chairman Max Baucus, Rockefeller is lambasting the insurance industry, and citing a number of ways other health care reform bills do a better job at reining in their excesses. He cited insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter, who said that, without a public option, health care reform legislation might as well be named the "Insurance Industry Profit Protection Act."

The House bill, Rockefeller noted, would place strict limits on the so-called medical-loss ratio (i.e. percentage of each premium dollar that can go to profits, administrative costs, and other non-health care related activities.)

Late, late update: It's worth mentioning that you can follow the hearing at this link.

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Health Care

Today's the Day: Public Option Votes in the Senate Finance Committee

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 9:20AM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

As I laid out moments after the proposed amendments to the Baucus bill were announced, the public option will have its day on the Senate Finance Committee.

That day is today. The 23-member panel will consider amendments sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that, if adopted, would add a public option into the panel's health care reform bill.

Two things to keep in mind if you're watching the hearing or reading news accounts about the developments: the two proposals are very different, and neither is expected to pass. The Rockefeller amendment is a version of what we've come to know as the "robust" public option. It would, for a time, be tied to Medicare, and, thereafter, be able to use the government's considerable leverage to bargain down payment rates with providers.

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Kent Conrad

Conrad: Finance Committee Could Finish Bill Next Week

Eric Kleefeld | September 24, 2009, 1:07PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) just appeared on CNN, and was asked by Tony Harris whether a health care bill can get out of the Finance Committee next week. Conrad said yes -- a sign that he could be getting behind Democratic efforts to pass the bill, without slowing it down.

"I think we could," said Conrad. "Look, there are, (laughs), I think it's pretty clear there are some of our colleagues who are engaged in a bit of a stall, a bit of a slowdown. That's understandable -- even though we've been at this in our committee for well more than a year, and we have had hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of hours of discussion, dozens of meetings, dozens of hearings."

Conrad -- who has himself been one of those people stalling the bill until now -- also specifically refuted the idea that there has been a rush to pass it.

"As I say, our little group of six -- three Democrats, three Republicans -- we've had 61 meetings," he said. "So the notion that somehow there's a rush here, I think is just for those who have kind of tuned in here at the last minute. We've been working on this for well over a year. I think we could complete our part of it by some time next week."

Kent Conrad

Conrad's Deficit Obsession and Public Option Skepticism Have Put Him Out of Step with Democrats

Brian Beutler | September 23, 2009, 3:29PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Last night, Kent Conrad nearly gave Max Baucus a heart attack. Or so it seemed. During a hearing about the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill, Conrad said he'd need to see a complete cost analysis of the legislation before he was willing to vote on it--a stipulation that, according to CBO chief Doug Elmendorf, promised to delay the Baucus bill by two weeks.

Conrad ultimately backed off from this demand, and today, with his support, the committee agreed not to hold a vote until a preliminary analysis could be completed--a compromise that will surely shorten the delay by several days. But this was only the latest in a series of power plays that have many Democrats and health care reformers wondering just what his gambit is.

"He's provided us with two main hurdles," said a Senate Democratic aide. "He said from the beginning that he wanted to focus on entitlement reform and deficit reduction...and then he opposed the public option."

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Health Care

Elmendorf: Health Care Progress May Not Be Possible for Two Weeks

Brian Beutler | September 22, 2009, 5:53PM

This is somewhat complicated, and I'll flesh it out and get you video just as soon as I can. But with Democrats anxious to pass a health care bill, and avoiding delays seen as a high political priority, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) indicated today that there may be major delays in the health care process going forward. During today's health care hearing, he told CBO chief Doug Elmendorf today that the Senate Finance Committee must be provided with a complete CBO score of the final package before the panel can hold a vote on it.

"With respect to the issue of when scoring might be available, because...it is critically important that we have scoring before a final vote is cast in the committee," Conrad said, "it is important for us to know, once there is a package, after the amendment process here, can you give us some rough estimate, in days to have a CBO score."

How long will that scoring take?

Elmendorf estimated that the full reporting could take two weeks:

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Health Care

Three Public Option Amendments to Baucus Bill Put Conservative Democrats on the Spot

Brian Beutler | September 21, 2009, 2:23PM

By my count, Democrats have offered three different amendments that, if approved, would result in the adoption of a public health insurance plan. The first, proposed by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) calls for the creation of a fairly robust public option much like the plan originally drafted by the House of Representatives. It would pay providers Medicare rates plus a small bonus for those practitioners who already take Medicare patients.

That will be a telling vote, but more telling will be the votes on the other two public option proposals. The first, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would create a so-called "level playing field" public option, which wouldn't be permitted to set rates. The second, offered by Schumer and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), would create a very similar public option, this one imported from the Senate HELP committee's bill.

Rockefeller's plan would please reformers and liberals, and substantively makes more sense on a cost control level. But what makes the other two amendments more politically interesting is that they put conservative Democrats--particularly Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT), Kent Conrad (D-ND), and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)--on the spot. No longer will they be able to simply dismiss the public option by saying it doesn't have the votes to pass the Senate. And they won't be able to honestly oppose these plans on big government grounds.They'll actually have to go on the record one way or another. And a lot of eyes will be on them when they do.

Health Care

Did the White House Give Joe Wilson Everything He Wanted? In a Word: Yes

Brian Beutler | September 17, 2009, 6:15PM

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) may have made a fool of himself when he screamed "You lie!" at President Obama during last week's epic health care speech. He certainly earned a slap on the wrist from the House of Representatives for it.

But, in the final analysis, did the White House basically reward his bad behavior?

The answer seems to be yes.

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Health Care

CBO Says Baucus Bill a Big Money Saver

Brian Beutler | September 16, 2009, 6:09PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

Following on Sen. Kent Conrad's request, the Congressional Budget Office has analyzed the Finance Committee's draft bill--not just for a 10 year window, but for a 20 year window--and concluded that it would be a big money saver. From 2010 through 2019, the legislation, if enacted as is, would reduce the federal deficit by $49 billion. And, in a rough projection, CBO found that the bill would continue to provide savings relative to current law, for the 10 years thereafter. Though there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty, from 2020 through 2029 the legislation would save on the order of .5 percent of GDP

As I noted yesterday, Conrad requested an extended outlook, likely with the intent of giving this bill a political boost. Conrad and the "Gang of Six" worked closely with CBO chief Doug Elmendorf while crafting the bill, and almost certainly knew that it would score favorably, particularly in comparison to the Senate HELP bill and House legislation, which do less to control the rate of health care inflation.

Health Care

Rockefeller to Baucus, Conrad: Co-ops Are a Sham, Public Option Is a Must

Brian Beutler | September 16, 2009, 3:31PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

When it became clear several weeks ago that negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee were planning to pursue a private co-op model instead of a public option in their health reform bill, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)--a senior member of that committee, and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee--undertook a study into the history and effectiveness of health insurance co-operatives.

As part of that study, he asked the Government Accountability Office to bring together all of the research it had done over the years into the effectiveness of co-ops in the insurance market. Today, he sent a fairly scathing letter to Finance chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and chief co-op advocate Kent Conrad (D-ND) regarding the results.

Rockefeller, who says he regards the public option as a "must," writes, "there has been no significant research into consumer co-ops as a model for the broad expansion of health insurance. What we do know, however, is that this model was tried in the early part of the 20th century and largely failed."

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Health Care

Conrad Demands Health Care Proposal Meet Stricter Budget Demands

Brian Beutler | September 15, 2009, 6:28PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

In what is likely an effort to bolster the health care bill he helped design, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)--chair of the Budget Committee, and member of the "gang of six"--has seen to it that health care proposals in the House and Senate be analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office over a 20 year window, instead of the usual 10.

CBO chief Doug Elmendorf worked closely with the Finance Committee during the drafting of the proposal, and seems likely to project greater long-term cost savings from it than from the others. And if that happens, his findings are sure to be used as a political weapon by both Republicans and spending-conscious Democrats.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Medicine--an organization that's part of the National Academies--is about to release a new study which confirms the view that the CBO's projections are stingy and that current reform proposals will likely yield hundreds of billions of dollars in savings that the CBO didn't account for.

Health Care

House Progressive Whacks Conrad and Baucus for Appeasing Heckler

Brian Beutler | September 11, 2009, 4:51PM

As we've been reporting, Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Max Baucus (D-MT) responded to Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson (R-SC) with incredulity by implicitly affirming his false accusation that Democratic health care legislation will be a boon to illegal immigrants.

That move hasn't gone unnoticed, and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)--a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus--has some pretty harsh words for the two.

"The senators are knee-jerking and over-reacting," Grijalva told me today, denouncing the move.

Grijalva has emerged in recent weeks as one of the House progressives most committed to insisting health care reform legislation include a public option.

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Health Care

Immigrant Rights Group: Baucus and Conrad 'Caved', Made Health Care Bill More Expensive

Brian Beutler | September 11, 2009, 1:11PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

I just got off the phone with Frank Sharry, Executive Director of the immigrant rights group America's Voice, who's not exactly pleased that Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Max Baucus (D-MT) are responding to the Joe Wilson scream incident by writing immigrant restrictions into health care legislation.

"Baucus and Conrad are caving on a fake issue that is trumped up by Republicans not to better the bill but to trump up opposition to reform," Sharry declared. "I just find it stunning that they would validate what Joe Wilson did."

Sharry also points out that the changes to the bill are likely to be extremely inefficient.
Under Medicaid, he says, "there is currently a verification system in place called the SAVE program, which works pretty well."

But under President George W. Bush, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act, which implemented a checkpoint system resembling the plan Baucus and Conrad have adopted. In 2007, a Government Accountability Office report (PDF) found that "the DRA documentation requirements have led to widespread declines in Medicaid enrollment and increased administrative costs [and] have cost significantly more to implement than they have saved in expenditures by excluding undocumented immigrants from Medicaid coverage. For every $100 spent by federal taxpayers to implement the new requirements in six states, only 14 cents in Medicaid savings can be documented."

So not only is this particular method of avoiding systemic abuse by low-wage, undocumented residents ineffective and politically dubious. It's also extremely wasteful. Thankfully, though, Congressmen like Joe Wilson will no longer be tempted to scream "you lie!" at President Obama. Or maybe it won't even accomplish that.

Health Care

Conrad Clarifies: No Federal Subsidies for Non-Citizens Under Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | September 11, 2009, 11:31AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) told reporters today that while non-citizens won't be barred, under Senate Finance Committee legislation from entering health insurance exchanges, the exchanges themselves will require all consumers to show proof of citizenship, in order to insure that undocumented residents don't receive any federal subsidies.

"You can't prevent someone from being able to purchase insurance," Conrad said. "They would not get any government assistance.... What we're trying to prevent is anybody who is here illegally from getting any federal benefit."

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Health Care

Baucus, Conrad Respond to "You Lie" Flap By Restricting Non-Citizens from Insurance Market

Brian Beutler | September 11, 2009, 11:13AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's shout heard round the world has turned into a political food fight and a minor scandal for the GOP. By blurting "you lie" during the President's address, Wilson was insinuating--wrongly--that Democratic health care legislation would provide federal subsidies to undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance. But though Wilson's allegation was false, and the political impact has been largely negative, Democratic leaders on the Senate Finance Committee seem to think it's worth fixing the non-existent problem Wilson was complaining about.

"We really thought we'd resolved this question of people who are here illegally, but as we reflected on the President's speech last night we wanted to go back and drill down again," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), according to Time. The incident reportedly has led Finance chairman Max Baucus to insert a provision in his legislation to require participants in the health insurance exchanges to provide proof of citizenship.

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Health Care

Conrad Again Criticizes Idea Of Deadline For Health Care Bill

Rachel Slajda | September 9, 2009, 11:50AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) today took a shot at the president for pushing a deadline for passing health care reform legislation, saying a deadline is "counterproductive."

"The president's job is to push ... if he doesn't push it tends to drift," Conrad told reporters this morning. "But this idea that there is a drop-dead day or hour is absolutely counterproductive to doing something that is critical."

Conrad, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has expressed dismay with the idea of a deadline before.

But yesterday it was committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), not the president, who was pushing deadlines. Baucus said yesterday that bipartisan negotiators on the committee had better speak up by 10 a.m. today if they had changes to his proposal.

Health Care

Schumer: Bipartisan Health Care Bill Looking Very Unlikely

Brian Beutler | August 24, 2009, 9:09AM

Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

On Meet the Press yesterday, Sen. Chuck Schumer contradicted his colleague Kent Conrad (D-ND), saying he believes there are 60 Democratic votes to pass a health care bill with a public option. And he confirmed that, with a bipartisan solution seeming unlikely, Democratic party leaders are indeed prepared to use the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill to pass at least some parts of health care reform.

"I believe we could get a public option that could be passed with the 60 Democratic votes," Schumer said. Conrad has repeatedly said the opposite--that the public option doesn't have the votes. But he famously hasn't explained who in the party would support a health reform filibuster over the issue.

Schumer went on to address the possibility that Democrats might circumvent the filibuster altogether. "[W]e are considering alternatives," he said in an appearance with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

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