The AP (11/11, Espo) reports that former President Bill Clinton "urged Senate Democrats on Tuesday to pass healthcare legislation by year's end, pointedly telling skittish lawmakers that an imperfect bill is preferable to another failure like the one he and the party endured in 1994." After the caucus meeting, Clinton said, "It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act, to move, to start the ball rolling." The AP adds that Clinton "made an unusual visit to the party's weekly closed-door caucus meeting at the invitation of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who has said he hopes the Senate can vote on a bill before the year is out."

        Kennedy's long term insurance proposal could be sticking point. The Washington Times (11/11, Haberkorn) reports an insurance plan "championed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy that would help elderly or disabled people avoid nursing homes ironically adds yet another sticking point to the comprehensive healthcare reform plans for which the Massachusetts Democrat fought through much of his career." The Community Living Services and Support (CLASS) Act "is designed to help those who need assistance with basic daily tasks pay for in-home assistance. But moderate Democrats and Republicans worry about the plan's impact on the deficit and the potential for saddling the federal government with the responsibility of another insurance program."

        Reid expects to finish healthcare reform before Christmas. The New York Times (11/11, A22, Herszenhorn) reports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "said Tuesday that he expected to bring major healthcare legislation to the floor next week and to complete work on the bill before Christmas," but "other Democratic leaders said it was unlikely that a bill could reach President Obama's desk by year's end." In a "first procedural step toward Senate debate, Mr. Reid on Tuesday night moved to put the House bill on the Senator calendar, from which he could call it up any time after Tuesday." Aides "said there was still much uncertainty, and Senate Democrats have repeatedly missed self-imposed deadlines on the health bill."

        Senate bill said to be preferable to House measure. In his New York Times (11/11, B1) column, David Leonhardt writes, "Making the medical system more efficient is, in short, about saving lives and giving Americans a long overdue raise. It is arguably the single most important step that the federal government could take to improve people's lives. And the bill that the House of Representatives passed last weekend simply does not get it done." The House bill "falls far short when compared with a bill that passed the Senate Finance Committee last month. It also fails to live up to Mr. Obama's campaign proposals and recent speeches."