Lieberman vote out if Medicare language in

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., said he would oppose a healthcare plan with language to expand Medicare, jeopardizing Democratic hopes of passing a bill.

The Medicare provision would allow people 55-64 to buy into Medicare under certain conditions.

Lieberman said he told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of his opposition to the language and has said he would oppose cloture -- a procedure that would end debate and allow action on the bill to proceed, CNN reported Monday.

Democratic sources also told CNN Lieberman indicated he would work with Republicans if the Medicare option were in the final version of the bill. If Republicans are united when the bill comes up for a vote, Democrats need all 60 votes in their caucus, including Lieberman, to approve the measure.

On CBS's Sunday program "Face the Nation," Lieberman and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nelson, a centrist, discussed what changes would be necessary for the bill to capture their support. He said the bill would have to lose language on a government insurance program that focuses on home healthcare, the government-run public health insurance option as well as the Medicare proposal included in a package of alternatives to a public plan, CNN reported. He said he also wanted to strengthen cost-containment language.

Several Democrats said Sunday they would decide the fate of compromise provisions once they receive the Congressional Budget Office analysis.