Jackie Judd,
Kaiser Family Foundation ; Mary Agnes Carey and Eric Pianin, Kaiser Health News

The Senate Finance Committee awaits a cost analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before voting later this week on major $900 billion health care reform legislation. The long-awaited bill, crafted by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is expected to narrowly clear the committee, but Senate Democratic leaders then must meld it with another bill approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee before sending the package to the Senate floor. The Finance Committee version doesn’t include a public insurance option, but liberal Democrats are pushing to include one. House Democratic leaders, meanwhile, are putting the finishing touches on their plan, but likely will hold back and let the Senate vote first.

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