Congressman Bill Cassidy, R-La., recently broke some news that could turn the health care debate on its head. During a radio interview, he revealed that Blue Dog Democrats have been quietly reaching out to Republicans to draft an alternative health reform bill.

This isn't surprising. After all, neither Republicans nor centrist Democrats nor the majority of Americans approve of the clumsy hodgepodge of big-government policies that make up Sen. Max Baucus' health care bill.

Fortunately, an alliance between Republicans and moderate Democrats could give Americans the reform package they're looking for — one aimed at lowering costs while promoting competition.

Even though boisterous protests and town hall meetings have become less common, polls show support for health care reform is at a new low.

Blue Dog Democrats — a group of 52 moderate Democratic members of Congress — have long been uneasy about health care reforms that give too much power to the federal government. In fact, they were among the leading opponents of the government-run "public option." Although that idea seems to be off the table, there's still plenty in the Baucus legislation for these Democrats to criticize.

The nonprofit health care cooperatives in the Baucus bill, for instance, would establish many of the same problems as the public option. It's true these co-ops wouldn't officially be part of the government, but they would benefit from federal financial backing.

Since co-ops would be able to draw from a healthy supply of federal funds, they could push private insurers out of the market by offering artificially low rates. This would soon result in a health care sector with few alternatives to the federally-chartered co-ops.

At the same time, the Senate bill — which carries an $856 billion price tag — also fails to sufficiently address the issue of cost.

A bipartisan alternative to Baucus' legislation has the potential to be the kind of practical, cost-lowering bill that Americans want.

What would such a bill look like? It's hard to say at this stage, but one smart way to go about crafting a bipartisan bill would be to model it off successful health care policies already in existence. Namely, Medicare Part D.

By creating a system where private insurers could fairly compete to offer Medicare beneficiaries the best drug coverage, Part D has reduced the number of seniors without drug coverage by 17 percent.

This basic model could be used as the basis for a new bipartisan health care bill. Under such a program, the federal government would expand coverage to chronically uninsured Americans by creating a system of privately administered health insurance options. Customers would choose the plan most appropriate for them, and the federal government would help subsidize their premiums.

Such a program would keep costs down by rewarding insurance companies for providing the best coverage at the lowest price. It would also give Americans the freedom to choose from a wide array of plans.

The time is right for real bipartisan reform. Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans have a chance to create a bill that lowers costs and expands coverage, without needlessly involving the federal government in the health care decisions of private citizens.