Pelosi: Senate health bill won't pass the House without changes

Reuters: "U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she does not think the Senate's version of healthcare reform has enough support in the House to pass without changes." She said she didn't see the votes for it, adding that Democratic congressional leaders were "not in a big rush" to figure out the next move on healthcare, but that they are committed to passing a bill this year (Smith, 1/21).

Bloomberg: "'In its present form, without change, I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House,' Pelosi told reporters today in Washington" (Rowley, 1/21).

The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: "'We have to get a bill passed. We know that,' Pelosi said, adding that 'unease would be a gentle word' to describe House members' attitude toward the Senate legislation at the moment. Still, the Speaker reiterated that all options are on the table, and House leaders had to always be prepared for the possibility that the Senate wouldn't be able to muster the 60 votes necessary to pass healthcare legislation" (Fabian and O'Brien, 1/21).