Democrats have been searching for a way to salvage the healthcare bill, after the legislation was thrown into limbo by the Republicans' upset victory in a special Senate election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19. President Obama suggested that Democrats and Republicans publicly debate the merits of their competing healthcare proposals, then hold a final vote. Some Senate Democrats have noted that they had already gone through such an exercise, debating the legislation for 25 straight days before they approved it, with no Republican support, on Christmas Eve, the New York Times reports.
