UPDATE: Rep. Mike Ross (Dem-Ark) has announced that he can no longer support a new public insurance plan in a health overhaul bill.

The Hill is reporting that 23 House Democrats (not including Rep. Ross) are now opposed to the healthcare plan currently moving through Congress.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can only afford to lose a total of 38 votes from her 256 member caucus (unless some Republicans side with her–like they did on Cap and Trade) and still pass a bill.  The Hill cites several primary factors for these defections, particularly increased healthcare costs, the inclusion of federally funded abortions, increased taxes, and the inclusion of a “public option” to compete with the more than 1,300 private  insurance companies (combination of for-profit and non-profit insurance companies) currently providing healthcare coverage.

Meanwhile, liberal supporters of the House healthcare plan (H.R. 3200) continue to belittle all opposition.  60 liberal lawmakers have now stepped up their demand for ObamaCare styled healthcare reform, vowing to vote against any bill that does not include a public option.

In spite of the growing divide in her own caucus, Nancy Pelosi continues to promise that healthcare reform will pass and become law this year.  She also continues to promise that reform legislation will include the increasingly contentious “public option.”

Will she succeed?  The Hill reports further that since becoming Speaker of the House, Pelosi has lost only 1 vote, the $700 billion bailout requested by the Bush administration (which later passed).

With President Obama scheduled to address a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday regarding his “NEW” heathcare agenda, the immediate question is “will the number Democrat supporters increase or decrease?”

For more on this story, read

• Mike Soraghan and Michael M. Gleeson, “Already, 23 Dems have said they will vote ‘no’ on healthcare reform,” The Hill (September 8, 2009)
• Paul Kane, Ben Pershing and Perry Bacon Jr., “Deeply Divided House Returns to Work — and the Same Set of Problems,” Washington Post (September 8, 2009)
• “Key Dem moderate turns against public option,” Associated Press (September 8, 2009)
  

Here are the 23 Democrats currently opposing the House healthcare overhaul

John Adler (N.J.)
Jason Altmire  (Pa.)
John Barrow  (Ga.)
Dan Boren (Okla.)
Rick Boucher  (Va.)
Allen Boyd (Fla.)
Bobby Bright (Ala.)
Travis Childers (Miss.)
Jim Costa (Calif.)
Henry Cuellar  (Texas)
Parker Griffith (Ala.)
Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Betsy Markey (Colo.)
Eric Massa (N.Y.)
Jim Matheson (Utah)
Charlie Melancon (La.)
Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Tom Perriello (Va.)
Earl Pomeroy (N.D.)
Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Bart Stupak (Mich.)
John Tanner (Tenn.)
Gene Taylor (Miss.)