Healthcare Open Thread

ABC News—Senators Defeat Anti-Abortion Amendment in Health Care Bill By 54-45: "By a vote of 54-45, senators dismissed the abortion amendment offered by Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Nelson had threatened to vote no on final passage if his amendment was not included, but he declined to say today if he would abandon the Democrats' razor thin 60-vote majority. 'This makes it very hard for me to support it,' Nelson told reporters after the vote."

TPMDC—Democrats Agree to Tentatively Trade Opt-Out for Trigger, Medicare Buy In, and More:

An aide briefed on the negotiations among the gang of 10 offers up the rundown of the most important aspects of the public option compromise being sent to CBO.

If this trade-off carries the day, the opt out public option is gone.

In its place will be many of the alternatives we've been hearing about, including a Medicare expansion and a triggered, federally-based public option, the aide said.

As has been widely reported, one of the trade-offs will be to extend a version of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan to consumers in the exchanges. Insurance companies will have the option of creating nationally-based non-profit insurance plans that would offered on the exchanges in every state. However, according to the aide, if insurance companies don't step up to the plate to offer such plans, that will trigger a national public option.

The White House responds: "Senators are making great progress and we're pleased that they're working together to find common ground toward options that increase choice and competition."

The public option is dead. Long live the market.