"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R.3590) "Senate bill" or "Baucus bill" is not the more desirable implementation of the two versions. It is the most parsimonious version under consideration. Not mentioned here is the chambers' different treatments of states' insurance regulation and establishment of state "public option" plans and/or insurance exchanges; as well as insurers' premium constraints and "individual responsibility tax credit" eligibility.

Normally, a conference committee is convened to hammer out a compromise bill. However, it appears that congressional leaders will forego the formal conference procedure to avoid procedural votes that might give opponents of reform an opportunity to further stall reform. Instead, House and Senate leaders will negotiate informally and when a deal is reached, the House will pass the Senate bill with amendments to reflect the compromise, with the Senate following suit

The purported strategic value of the manoever is nonsensical. On one hand, abrogate committee emendments to "avoid procedural votes;" on the other, allow House floor[?] "amendments to reflect the compromise" --normally produced by formal conference-- to assure House passage, then Senate passage, of the not-conference bill.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.