Reid: No Health Care Bill Before September

Hours after President Barack Obama urged Congress to pass a health care reform bill quickly, the Senate majority leader said it would not be done before fall.

At a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused opponents of health care reform of using "code words, scare tactics and sound bites" to distort the arguments on health care and delay action by lawmakers. "This is about families with real diseases, real medical bills and real fears," Reid said.

Although the Senate Finance Committee may finish debating its portion of the health care bill before the monthlong August recess, the Senate will not vote on any measure before September, Reid said.

"In working with Republicans, one of the things they asked is that they have more time," he said. "The decision was made to give them more time, and I don't think that's unreasonable."

GOP senators have said the reform process was being rushed, and agreement on key details has been elusive even among Democratic senators. Broad areas of disagreement remain among Democrats about whether to create a public option for health care insurance, and about how to pay for reforms. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has said he'd like to tax employee benefits, while the White House has refused to entertain the option.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that the goal has always been to pass a bill by the end of the year. He also rejected the idea that a delay over the August recess would endanger reform by opening lawmakers up to complaints from their constituents as they travel through their states and districts.

"This will stand the test of public opinion," Schumer said.