House vote on health care could be delayed

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The No. 2 Democrat in the House said this morning that Democratic leaders are "very close" to getting the 218 votes they need to pass their sweeping health care bill.

But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said they have put the rank-and-file on notice that the voting could spill over to Sunday afternoon and possibly Monday and Tuesday if necessary.

"My expectation is that time will not be needed, and we will get this done by Saturday night," Hoyer said in a conference call with the liberal health care consumers group Families USA. But a bit later he acknowledged that the leadership is still looking to solidify the support needed for passage.

"There are many people who are still looking to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do," he said.

House leaders are trying to rush the bill -- one of the largest and most complex pieces of legislation considered in recent years -- through the lower chamber quickly. They fear that with every passing hour, more issues could arise and create obstacles to passage.

Hoyer said discussions are ongoing over two side issues, abortion and immigration. Conservative Democrats don't want public money to indirectly subsidize abortion, and they also don't want illegal immigrants to benefit from insurance subsidies.

If the House and Senate both pass legislation, Hoyer said -- rather ominously -- that he expects a "relatively lengthy and difficult conference" given the major differences between the House and Senate and the complexity of the bill.

UPDATE: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that the administration regrets the likely delay in the vote, but President Obama still plans to go to Capitol Hill on Saturday and sees it as "an important step forward."

He also acknowledged the tense discussions over abortion and illegal immigrants. "Congress, obviously, is working through a process that will ultimately, we believe, before the end of the year get a bill to the president's desk," he said.