Obama faces tough Senate debate

Washington: Moderate Democrats are threatening to scuttle Senate legislation overhauling the US health care system, President Barack Obama's top domestic issue, unless their demands are met. More liberal senators are warning their party leaders not to bend.

The dispute within Obama's Democratic Party foretells of a rowdy Senate floor debate next month on legislation that would extend health care coverage to roughly 31 million Americans, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

Republicans have already made clear they aren't supporting the Bill.

Final passage is in jeopardy, even after the Senate's historic 60-39 vote Saturday night to begin a full debate after lawmakers return from a recess for Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday. "I don't want a big-government, Washington-run operation that would undermine the ... private insurance that 200 million Americans now have," said Senator Ben Nelson, a conservative Democrat, said on Sunday on ABC television.

Nelson and three other moderates — Democratic Sens Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln and independent Joe Lieberman — agreed to open debate despite expressing reservations on the measure. Each of them has warned that they might not support the final bill. One major sticking point is a provision that would allow Americans to buy a federal-run insurance plan if their state allows it.