Reid readies Senate for healthcare vote

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appears to be getting ready to count to 60 on healthcare.

The Democratic leader has laid the groundwork for the crucial test vote on advancing a healthcare overhaul in the Senate. The Hill reports on the filing of a motion to introduce the bill Monday, which will prompt expected Republican objections.

“A motion to proceed to the bill would be in order the next legislative day,’ Reid spokesman Jim Manley tells The Hill.

Reid’s action sets the stage for a vote as early as Tuesday on a motion to proceed to the bill, which requires 60 votes -- a test of the leadership’s ability to advance the bill in a chamber where the Democrats and two independents account for 60 seats.

The House has narrowly approved a healthcare bill by a vote of 220 to 215, which includes a controversial ‘public option,’ a government-run plan for those who cannot find private insurance. Reid (D-Nev.) is advancing an opt-out that would enable states to exempt themselves from the public option in the Senate bill. The House’s bill carries an estimated price tag of more than $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The Senate’s bill is awaiting a cost analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, expected this week.

See the Swamp report on Reid’s move on healthcare.

-- Mark Silva