Democratic leaders began meeting with President Obama to reconcile the House and Senate health-care bills, prompting GOP criticism that the normal conference committee process had been bypassed. With Senate Democrats needing every one of the 60 votes they garnered to pass their version, House leaders acknowledge they will be hard-pressed to get the House-passed public option.
Beyond that issue, lawmakers must resolve other differences. The House bill, for instance, provides $602 billion in insurance subsidies beginning in 2013, while the Senate plan offers $436 billion and starts a year later. Democrats hope to hammer out a bill before Obama’s State of the Union address.
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