The NY Times has a helpful comparison of the House and Senate versions of health care reform here.
 
   read more »

He won't say whether he's got 60 votes to pass it, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a Saturday vote to move the health care bill forward.

Republicans have been working to persuade members not to vote in favor of this procedural vote if they're planning to vote against health care. They warn their colleagues not to be in the position of having to say "I was for it before I was against it," echoing Sen. John Kerry's flip-flop on Iraq.  read more »

Nebraska moderate Democrat Ben Nelson's office just shot out a press release describing what a vote to proceed to debating the Senate health care bill is AND is not. Highlight: 
   read more »

Many people are wondering how the pundits got it wrong. They declared the public option dead but now it's headed towards the Senate floor.  The House may follow a similar lead.  read more »

In his weekly pen and pad session with reporters (basically legislative shop talk), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he is increasing his efforts to reach out Republicans on health care reform.
   read more »

Teddy Roosevelt was the first President to try to reform the nation's health care system. It didn't work 75 years ago, and Republicans are determined it won't happen in 2009. Tonight is President Obama's chance to seize the moment and change the course of history by doing what just about every President since - Republican and Democrat - has tried, but failed, to achieve since Roosevelt.  read more »

CNN's clock is slowly winding down, which means the president will be ushered to Capitol Hill soon. The area is mostly shut down. Snipers are on roof tops. Police K-9's are sniffing for trouble. And T.V. reporters are applying fresh globs of makeup.
   read more »

Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) used the most recent polls to show public support for a government run insurance company continues to dwindle. In a conference call from Flagstaff, Arizona he told reporters "the more people learn about this bill the more they don't like it." Lawmakers have been traveling around their states this month meeting with constituents. Kyl said private insurers are highly regulated by the states – and that a government competitor isn’t necessary desirable.  read more »

James Edwards, coauthor of The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform, wrote for the National Review that Congress needs to deal with immigration before it takes on health care – not the order it’s currently working in.  read more »

A feature I did about Sen. Chris Dodd's duel roles as Chairman of both the Banking and Health Committees is here. Republicans and watchdog groups say his focus on health care reform is most advantageous to financial firms, because new regulations have been relegated to the back burner. Give it a listen and send me some feedback.

Follow Matt Laslo’s blog and coverage of Congress at http://twitter.com/MattLaslo  read more »