Senate Democrats satisfied with deal

A Medicare buy-in program would "adversely impact American society by putting people into a government program that is going broke with the combination of Baby Boomers entering in 2012 as they turn 65," Rohack wrote. "We would add millions of more patients to a program where it is difficult for a new enrollee to get an appointment with a physician."

Republicans and their business allies strongly criticized the Senate bill, portraying it as a threat to jobs. The National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business association, released a statement opposing the legislation as an inadequate response to rising costs. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who helped to negotiate an earlier version of the Senate bill, called the revised measure "a job landslide" that would bury employers "under an avalanche of new regulations."

Although Democratic senators expressed confidence that the bill will pass, they professed to know few details about the public-option deal, kept under wraps by Reid while the CBO analyzes the cost.

"I don't know what the deal is," Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.) said as he emerged Wednesday night from a Democratic caucus meeting. "But I think at the end of the day that we'll have 60 votes."

One question as of late Wednesday was whether a "trigger" mechanism would be included in the Office of Personnel Management program, creating a public option if the private plans were unable to provide affordable coverage. That is a crucial distinction for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), an independent member of the Democratic caucus, who has ruled out supporting a public option in any form.

Lieberman said he has heard different variations of the OPM idea and remains unclear on the status of the trigger. But he warned: "If there's a trigger, I can't support it."

Despite lingering concerns, key uncommitted Democrats -- including Lieberman -- appeared to be warming to the legislation. Speaking at a news conference in which she announced a package of small-business amendments, Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) declined to endorse the bill but spoke favorably of the public-option alternatives, describing both the OPM plans and the Medicare buy-in program as potentially beneficial.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) said she liked the OPM idea but sounded less certain about expanding Medicare. "You might find that other products offered in the exchange might be less costly," she said. "Medicare is a pretty good plan. So it might be expensive."