Senate leaders have outlined a path to begin debate on a broad health overhaul package next week, just prior to the Thanksgiving Day holiday, which could lead to a vote by year-end. Asked if he thought he could bring the reform bill to the floor next week and wrap up debate by late December, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) answered, “Yes and yes.”
As is, Reid is working closely with the Congressional Budget Office to align hundreds of provisions in the bill with a price tag—or “score”—that would be favorable enough to win over 60 votes from a splintered group of Democrats or even some Republicans. But the provisions are constantly shifting, senators have said, and because of the intricacies of the bill, even the littlest change means that the CBO has to rework its cost estimates.
Reid sent the bill to the CBO three weeks ago, and a final analysis could come as early as this week.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's second highest-ranking Democrat, said he believes that the Senate could pass its bill by year-end. “I think there's a good chance if we can come together as a caucus,” he said.
The Senate's bill, if approved, would then have to be melded with the
House's version.
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