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Report: Senate will drop Medicare buy-in

US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), right, listen as Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) speaks at a news conference in the Capitol Building in Washington February 1, 2006 calling for "immediate attention" to the Honest Leadership Act, the Democratic proposal to reform Congressional lobbying rules and "clean up Washington from the Republican culture of corruption." (UPI Photo/Kamenko Pajic)
US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), right, listen as Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) speaks at a news conference in the Capitol Building in Washington February 1, 2006 calling for "immediate attention" to the Honest Leadership Act, the Democratic proposal to reform Congressional lobbying rules and "clean up Washington from the Republican culture of corruption." (UPI Photo/Kamenko Pajic) | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate leaders will drop expansion of Medicare from healthcare reform legislation in return for getting a bill passed by Christmas, senators said Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggested during a meeting of Senate Democrats he would drop the proposal to expand Medicare coverage to Americans 55 and older, in exchange for support from centrists in the Senate, including Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., The Hill reported.

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Lieberman and Nelson have said they will join an expected Republican filibuster of the legislation if it included either the Medicare expansion or a public option.

At a news conference after the meeting late Monday, Reid did not indicate what might come next as the Senate debates healthcare reform, The Hill said.

Sen. Evan Bayh, a moderate Democrat from Indiana, said it appeared dropping the Medicare expansion "would be necessary" to get enough votes in the Senate to pass reform legislation.

Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa -- who have pushed for a public option -- confirmed the legislation will not include expanded Medicare coverage.

"At some point you have to switch from the sentiment, the emotion of the words, to the facts," Rockefeller said. "And then you've got to decide, 'If I didn't get what I want, in the form that I wanted it, am I willing to cashier 31 million Americans?' I want a bill."

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Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said there is "enough good stuff in this bill that we should move ahead with it."

However, Lieberman said after the meeting he had not received "explicit assurance" Medicare expansion would be dropped but he said the Senate is "making progress," Politico reported.

"I think we're in the reach of a very significant accomplishment," Lieberman said.

Earlier Monday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had not initiated efforts to reach out to Lieberman on healthcare reform, contrary to news reports.

Lieberman said Sunday he would support a filibuster of healthcare reform legislation if it included a Medicare "buy-in" proposal.

"The president is anxious to see progress and will continue to work with Democrats and Republicans and independents, and everyone in between to make that progress, to take those steps," Gibbs said Monday.

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