Healthcare reform

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives said they will call a floor vote Saturday on their healthcare reform bill.

Even Democratic leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said the vote would be close, despite the large majority his party holds in the House. However, it is unlikely House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would allow the measure to reach the floor unless she was confident of holding at least the 218 votes needed for passage.

The bill, nearly 2,000 pages as introduced, was undergoing tweaking Friday so a final version wasn't available even for members to look over. Democrats said the measure would cost $894 billion over 10 years although that doesn't include funding the called-for expansion of Medicaid and tax credits to small businesses. Those push the cost to more than $1 trillion.

Democrats plan to pay for the measure with increased taxes on the highest-paid Americans and cuts to Medicare.

The bill requires individuals to buy insurance and employers to provide their workers insurance or face penalties. It also calls for a "public option," a government-run competitor to private insurance, which is problematic for many members of Congress.

The measure received key endorsements from the American Medical Association and AARP Thursday as thousands of protesters, called together by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., gathered on the Capitol grounds to protest.