The AP (1/5, Espo) reports that Congressional Democrats "intend to bypass traditional procedures when they negotiate a final compromise on health care legislation, officials said Monday, a move that will exclude Republican lawmakers and reduce their ability to delay or force politically troubling votes in both houses." According to Democratic aides, "the final compromise talks would essentially be a three-way negotiation involving top Democrats in the House and Senate and the White House, a structure that gives unusual latitude to" Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The AP also reports that Democratic aides "said there are no plans to appoint a formal House-Senate conference committee."

        The Los Angeles Times (1/5, Oliphant) also cites anonymous Democratic aides who said the House "would be likely to take up and amend the Senate bill before sending that bill back to the Senate for a vote. In theory, the Senate could amend the new version and send it back to the House, triggering another round in a process sometimes called 'ping-ponging,'" but "Democratic leaders will seek to draft a compromise version of the healthcare overhaul that would be acceptable to both the House and Senate, opening the way for final congressional action later this month or in early February."

        According to The Hill