White House drafting its healthcare bill

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The White House has been drafting a healthcare bill on the QT while allowing the U.S. Congress to work on its own for months, knowledgeable people said.

While the plan remains fluid, the White House is preparing for the possibility of delivering its own legislation to Congress after President Barack Obama discusses his vision of healthcare before a joint session of Congress Wednesday, multiple sources told CNN Friday.

Still alive is the so-called "trigger option" -- a new government-run healthcare plan would become effective only if insurance companies fail to meet certain affordability standards with their own plans, CNN said.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say the Finance Committee's so-called "Gang of Six," a bipartisan group conducting healthcare reform negotiations, is on the verge of collapse, The Hill said.

However, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana has assured party leaders he will stick to a Sept. 15 deadline for talks among the negotiators.

If the negotiations fail, Democrats told the Washington publication it would press ahead with only Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, when the deadline is reached.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said members recognize their days are dwindling to strike an agreement.