March 11 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. House and Senate leaders have agreed on legislative language to push forward President Barack Obama’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s health-care system, a top House Democrat said. The leaders will propose changes to legislation that the Senate passed in December in a bid to make the bill acceptable to House Democrats, House Democratic Whip James Clyburn said.
“We will have a reading of the bill” for Democratic lawmakers, Clyburn told reporters during a break in a meeting today. Republicans are united against the plan.
Obama is pushing House Democrats to approve the Senate bill and a package of agreed-upon changes. The Senate would then also approve the changes under a budget procedure known as reconciliation, which requires only a majority vote in the chamber controlled by Democrats.
Senator Judd Gregg, the Republican lawmaker charged with leading his party’s floor fight against the legislation, said today the Democrats may have the edge in passing the bill.
“You’ve got creative minds on the other side who are totally dedicated to passing this bill, and the president’s obviously invested at a level that is uniquely intense,” the New Hampshire lawmaker said at a National Press Club event sponsored by “Health Affairs” magazine. “We’re still swimming upstream I presume.”
Biggest Overhaul
Democrats are calling for the biggest overhaul of the U.S. medical system in 45 years. Their plan would require Americans to get insurance, with new purchasing exchanges and government aid to help. Insurers such as Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. would be required to accept all who seek coverage.
Leaders don’t expect a final estimate from the Congressional Budget Office until tomorrow, Clyburn said.
The CBO today raised its estimate of the cost of the underlying Senate bill to $875 billion from $871 billion over 10 years. The legislation will reduce the federal budget deficit by $118 billion over the period, or roughly $14 billion less than before it was amended in December, the nonpartisan agency estimated.
