Senate Committee Drops Public Option

Is this the cost of bipartisanship? A group of senators from both sides of the aisle have met secretly for several weeks, and are close to unveiling a trimmed-down health-care bill, the Associated Press reports. The new bill, pushed forth by the Senate Finance Committee, which includes Max Baucus (D-MT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) omits a public insurance plan as well as a requirement that businesses offer coverage to their employees. The plan would likely establish a nonprofit insurance provider that will compete with major insurance companies, instead of a government-led plan. Meanwhile, in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi confidently addressed the controversy surrounding health care, saying that everything remains on schedule for a vote—whenever the time may come.