So Ben Nelson is in.

Harry Reid finally has his entire caucus on board for a health care reform bill. The 60-vote bar has been reached (until such time as Lieberman feels the spotlight drifting away, so who knows for sure). Truth be told, this sticking point on abortion coverage was a bigger deal than most people probably realized. It was a real threat to passage of a bill, so the agreement reached last night with a handshake and announced this morning is not mere window dressing.

What were the elements of the compromise on abortion? We’re still learning the specifics, but Think Progress’ The Wonk Room is reporting that there’s language in the bill that expressly provides additional monies to Nebraska (Nelson’s state) for Medicaid funding. I’m not familiar enough with the legislative language or Medicaid funding mechanisms to confirm that’s what the provision is intended to do, but given Nelson’s publicly expressed concerns about reform’s impact on his state’s budget it certainly seems plausible. Read More

Breaking on Capitol Hill: The CBO score of the final Senate health care bill is in, with an $871 billion price tag.

That’s up from the last score, $849 billion.

President Obama is expected to speak at 1:30 p.m. and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks he has 60 votes.

After months in which the Senate health care bill was held up over efforts to find some form in which she would agree to sign on to it, Sen. Snowe (R-ME) now says she will oppose it because it is being “rushed.”

More details from our intrepid Capitol Hill reporter on how the Nelson abortion compromise will work in practice.

The President applauded the Senate compromise in a White House appearance a short time ago.

Is the senate abortion compromise unconstitutional? The House co-chairs of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus say maybe so.

As Senate leaders say they have the 60 votes needed to pass a health care compromise bill sans the public option, a progressive group is considering a new campaign against senators on their side.

PCCC writes members an email (obtained by TPMDC) that targets Sens. Russ Feingold, Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown and Al Franken, asking if they have been “strong enough” on the public option.

If members weigh in with a green light, PCCC may pressure those senators to “block any final bill without a public option.”

Late Update: Reader SR tells us she received one of the emails targeting Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL).

Vice President Joe Biden has an op-ed in the Sunday New York Times making the case for – you guessed it – “historic” health care reform.

Biden, who names former DNC chairman Howard Dean as one of the bill’s critics, says he wanted a public option and is the first to admit the legislation isn’t perfect.

“Those in our own party who would scuttle this bill because of what it doesn’t do seem not to appreciate the magnitude of what it has the potential to accomplish,” he wrote, adding: “But if the bill dies this week, there is no second chance to vote yes.” Read More

We’re continuing our ‘gut check’ moment on health care conversation at TPMCafe this week. And I just wrote another post in which I go into more detail on what worries me most about the current bill — the long delays until any of it actually gets implemented, something that seems bad for people who need help now and also bad for the law itself since resurgent Republicans could get the chance to repeal it before the public gets a chance to experience any of its benefits.

After months of agonizing–and raising false hopes among Democratic leaders–Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) confirms that she opposes the Senate health care reform bill.