Throughout the weekend, Senate Democrats intensified their yearlong effort to build consensus around some form of a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, named 10 senators to seek a compromise. Under a leading proposal, the federal Office of Personnel Management would negotiate with insurers to offer one or more national health plans to individuals, families, and small businesses. The push for a deal on the public option indicated the pressure Democrats were feeling to resolve their differences if they hope to pass the bill by their self-imposed deadline of Christmas.
