Last week, as Republicans pummeled Mr. Dodd over the cost of his bill, Mr. Baucus huddled with some of those critics, including Mr. Grassley, to develop a bill that Republicans could support.
In an interview Friday, Ms. Ignagni noted that the industry had endorsed many of the administration's proposed changes, including ending the practice of refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions, and said it would work with lawmakers to develop a bill that did not include a public plan.
Congress could have developed a bill that maintained Medicaid long-term care services for seniors, reduced the cost of premiums and deductibles, expanded coverage and limited the number of uninsured.
Obama administration officials have been developing a draft bill to impose that mandate, although the administration has not yet signed off on it.
In March 2007, Lord Lester, the Lib Dem peer, debated in the House of Lords that the act has "strong Liberal Democrat support" but added: "There is a powerful case for developing a British bill of rights to strengthen the protection given by the HRA..
"I told the A.M.A. that we've got to develop a bipartisan bill, a bill that is acceptable to senators on both sides of the aisle, and they should make a decision as to what to support," Dr. Frist said.
Having served as a conferee in 2002, I appreciate the difficulty of developing an acceptable bill that fulfills divergent perspectives; however, the fierce partisanship delayed the opportunity to find the best policy solution.
Motorcoach safety legislation has languished for far too long, which is why we joined with Ms. Claybrook's organization, Public Citizen, to develop a Senate bill and worked with others to support a House bill.
Steve McQueen (right), the director of 12 Years a Slave, is developing a BBC drama billed as "epic in scope", about the experiences of the black community in west London from the late 1960s to the present.
