A final vote on health care reform could come as early as Sunday, but Minnesota and North Dakota members of Congress are still generally waiting to find out final details before deciding if they will support the legislation.
The next step is up to House representatives. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced Thursday that debate will start at 1 p.m. Sunday with a final vote late Sunday or early Monday.
Another Thursday development came after two unsuccessful Republican attempts to block the House from using the "deem and pass" strategy.
It's a move that has drawn Republican criticism, with some saying the tactic may be unconstitutional. Some experts have pointed out the method has been used by both parties more and more in recent times, but arguably never for a bill as massive as the Senate legislation estimated to cost more than $870 billion over the next decade.
If the "deem and pass" strategy is successful, the House could then vote on a revisions package for the Senate bill that comes after negotiations with both chambers. The House announced Friday its compromise bill that would cost $940 billion.
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House's move
As the House vote approaches, critics and supporters of the health care bill are getting more vocal. Frequent television ads targeting on-the-fence representatives have become a common sight in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Senate decisions
If the House is able to pass health care reform, there are still some hurdles to clear before the bill would be signed into law. But what exactly happens next depends on what method the House uses this weekend.
If the Senate bill passes the House, or is "deemed" to have been passed by the House, then the original Senate version passed last December would go to President Barack Obama for his signature even if the reconciliation bill doesn't get any further.
And House approval of the reconciliation package would then shift the bill to the Senate, which could vote on it as early as next week. Senators could approve the bill or amend it, which would require sending it back to the House for approval.
The four senators from North Dakota and Minnesota all voted for the Senate health care bill last year but are still waiting to decide if they'll help pass the reconciliation package if it makes it through the House.
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is holding out on a definitive voting decision until he sees the final package because it's going through "many changes," he told the Grand Forks Herald. He said a "score," which would estimate costs of the final bill, is also important before he makes up his mind.
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Conrad said the Senate bill was beneficial because it would help avoid a future of health care costs in the country that is "not sustainable."
He said $1 in every $6 is spent on health care, a figure that will increase to $1 out of every $3 in the future if current trends hold true. Conrad said something needs to be done to prevent that possibility and control rising costs.
"We have got to begin to reform health care," he said. "This legislation is a beginning, it's not the end by any means."
Ryan Johnson is a writer for the Grand Forks Herald, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
