Senate moves, House delays on healthcare

WASHINGTON, July 28 (UPI) -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators reported moving forward on a compromise healthcare plan.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the lower chamber may delay a vote on its healthcare proposal until more is known about the Senate measure, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

"We're on schedule either to do it now or to do it whenever," the Pelosi, D-Calif., said.

Senate Finance Committee members said Monday they moved ahead on how to pay for the health plan and developed alternatives to requiring employers to provide health insurance, a point of contention with Republicans and business owners.

Under a proposal being floated by the bipartisan group, if an employer doesn't provide health insurance, it would have to pay most or all of the cost of any subsidies for which employees might qualify, the Times said.

Members of the bipartisan group said they also discussed a proposal to impose an excise tax on health insurance companies that sell policies worth much more than the national average.

Pelosi's comments hint chances are slim the House would consider a healthcare plan before the August recess, the Times said. Senate leaders already indicated they won't be bringing a bill to the floor before the break, dashing the the White House's hopes for congressional consideration before August.