(New) Senate Finance Committee Timetable for Health Care

Sen. Baucus has the month of August to complete his negotiations with Senate Republicans.  If not, the Democratic Leadership will step in and order a partisan bill to pass the Finance Committee.  These talks continue only because of Sen. Baucus’s insistence on bipartisan negotiations even as these same negotations have dragged on for months on end.

Does this mean we’ll still be seeing live reports on bi-partisan talks from CNN’s Dana Bash outside Max Baucus’s office when Congress returns in September? Don’t count on it.  Baucus has some time to work out a deal over the August break, but Democratic leaders are unlikely to allow talks with Republicans to drag on into September.

The six negotiators – Democratic Senators Baucus, Conrad, and Bingaman and Republican Senators Snowe, Grassley, and Enzi – will continue to negotiate during the August break through teleconferencing and the like.  We shall see if they can come up with a bill.

UPDATE: Baucus has promised Sept. 15th to be the deadline for these negotiations to end.  This is a week after the Senate comes back from the August recess as the Senate will be back in session on Sept. 8th, the day after Labor Day.

Also, if bipartisan negotiations fail, Reid “likely” plans to use reconciliation to pass the health care bill.  Who are the Democrats who plan to join the Republicans in a filibuster of health care reform because assuming partisan discipline, a party line vote with  60 Democratic Senators is enough to stop a filibuster.