<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three moderate senators whose votes may be pivotal to overhauling the U.S. healthcare system came together on Friday to offer an amendment to bolster cost controls in the massive legislation.</p><p>They also provided a rare show of unity across party lines in supporting President Barack Obama's bid to contain soaring health expenses while expanding coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.</p><p>Republican Susan Collins, independent Joseph Lieberman and Democrat Arlen Specter said their proposal would strengthen cost-saving provisions by rewarding quality of care and by giving consumers more information about hospitals and doctors.</p><p>"The amendment package that we are introducing today is intended to further three goals -- reduce costs, increase transparency and improve quality," Collins said at news conference.</p><p>Collins and Lieberman oppose the healthcare overhaul as it now stands mostly because it includes a new government-run health insurance option.</p><p>Lieberman has said he would vote to block passage of the bill if it included such a public option and said on Friday he does not favor any of the compromises to give states greater say on whether they would participate in the public option.</p><p>Specter said he backs a strong public option.</p><p>Those differences underscore the difficulty faced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as he tries to muster 60 votes needed to pass the legislation in the 100-member chamber.</p><p>The proposed cost-saving amendment is one of dozens that will be offered over the course of the Senate debate, which is expected to last at least until Christmas. Moderate Democrat Blanche Lincoln said on Friday she would offer an amendment that would limit the executive pay tax deduction for health insurance companies to $400,000.</p><p>WOOING MODERATES</p><p>Republicans strongly oppose the bill, but Democratic leaders hope to win support from moderates Collins and Olympia Snowe, both from Maine. Their support also would help ensure backing by moderates within Reid's own Democratic ranks.</p><p>Collins said the proposed amendment would move the bill closer to the goal of developing "a high-value health care system that is less costly, more efficient and produces better health outcomes." But the amendment alone would not be enough to win her support for the overhaul, Collins told reporters.</p><p>She was one of only three Republicans who supported Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus earlier this year and she is being wooed on the healthcare bill. Collins met earlier this week with White House health reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle and others to discuss her concerns about the bill.</p><p>One of those issues was that the bill does not go far enough to contain costs, a Collins' aide the said.</p><p>The amendment would speed up a pilot project on proposed payment system changes aimed at saving money while improving patient care.</p><p>The measure also would require insurers to provide consumers with more information about claims denials, punish hospitals with high rates of avoidable infections, provide for an Internet site where consumers could compare the quality of doctors and reward Medicare patients who choose "high performing, efficient doctors."</p><p>(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by Anthony Boadle)</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=64774127&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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