Top US Senate ally deals blow to Obama health plan

But the president said during a visit to the politically critical heartland US state of Ohio on Thursday to sell the plan that he had "no problem" with the delay, as long as lawmakers were working in good faith to reach agreement.
"We just heard today that, well, we may not be able to get the bill out of the Senate by the end of August, or the beginning of August: that's OK; I just want people to keep on working, just keep working," he said.
"I want to get it done by the end of this year, I want it done by the fall," said Obama, who had pushed the Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation before August.
That would have allowed the two chambers to work out their differences, agree on a compromise bill, and send that legislation to him for final approval by December, the cusp of a mid-term election year.
Reid said that the Senate Finance Committee would pass its component of the overall legislation before the recess, and that he would blend that with legislation that the Senate' main health committee approved this month.
"The decision was made to give them more time for the finance committee part of what we’re trying to do and I don't think it is unreasonable. This is a complex, difficult issue," the Nevada senator said.
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