A deal among fiscally conservative, or “Blue Dog,” Democrats means a full House of Representatives could debate a health reform bill after an August recess, while a similar deal has stalled in the Senate.

The deal, which trims nearly $100 billion from the cost of reform, was brokered by four House Democrats and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, allowing the group to move past a stalemate and reach consensus on a bill.

One part of the proposed deal revises the creation of a government-run insurance program, taking steps to ensure it would not have competitive advantages over private insurers. This approach would mirror the federal management of Medicare, which can negotiate low rates for service due to its size, according to published reports.

The compromise would also offer tax credits to help individuals purchase insurance, but eliminates both the employer and individual mandate for insurance, reports indicate.

A Republican plan amongst members of the House committee also would replace a health insurance “exchange” or “connector,” and instead use the Internet to purchase lower-cost coverage nationwide, according to reports.

Waxman’s committee is the last in the House to vote on a health reform bill with the Ways and Means and the Education and Labor Committee already having passed legislation earlier this month. The Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to resume its discussions on a bill today (July 30), and hopefully reach a compromise before Congress’ August recess.

In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced that during the recess, the three House committees will work “to reconcile their versions” and produce one piece of legislation for full consideration in the House.

“In September, Congress will pass legislation that puts Americans and their doctors back in charge, holds insurance companies accountable, guarantees stability and peace of mind, lowers costs, and provides more choices for higher quality care,” the joint statement read.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee continues its work on legislation, trying to find bipartisan compromise to join the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in passing a bill prior to the August break. It appears that will not happen, according to reports, and work on the committee bill and a full Senate vote will not come until September.

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said in a statement that no bipartisan deal by the committee “is imminent” with a number or remaining issues yet to be resolved. Enzi criticized media reports indicating compromise was coming, saying the reports actually hurt the process by producing “bad information.”

“We still have several areas where we haven’t been able to come to a consensus,” Enzi said. “No deal is at hand and substantive issues, big and small, remain under discussion and need to be resolved.  We need to keep working together.”