Health policy now carved out at a more centrist table

The fate of the healthcare overhaul largely rests on the shoulders of six senators who since June 17 have gathered—often twice a day, and for many hours at a stretch—in the office of the Senate Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana. President Obama and Congressional leaders agree that if a bipartisan deal can be forged on healthcare, it will emerge from this conference room and will bring a more centrist approach to reform.