Pelosi: House lacks votes to pass Senate version of health bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she doesn't have enough votes for the House to pass the Senate version of health care bill.

Update at 11:36 am. ET: If the House could have passed the bill, it would have gone straight to President Obama for a signature and would have not required further action from the Senate.

Update at 11:40 a.m. ET: "I don't see the votes for it," Pelosi told reporters. She also said Democratic congressional leaders are "not in a big rush" to determine their next move on health care legislation, but remain determined to pass a bill this year.

SOURCE: USA Today

Democrats begin discussing smaller health bill

President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are conceding for the first time that they may have to accept a less ambitious health overhaul bill than the massive one they've struggled for a year to assemble.

Shorn by Massachusetts voters of their pivotal 60th Senate vote and much of their political momentum, the White House and congressional leaders are considering a more modest version of Obama's top legislative priority. It could focus on curbing insurance company practices like denying coverage to sick people and on helping low-earning people and small businesses afford coverage, officials said.

Also fueling the Democratic search for a fresh health care strategy is a conviction by many in the party that it's time for an election-year focus on jobs and the economy, which polls show are easily the public's top concerns...

SOURCE: Associated Press > My Way News