Hoping it will not be needed, Democrats ponder a backup plan on healthcare bill

With the Massachusetts special election for United States Senate unpredictable, Democrats are contemplating a fall-back plan to advance healthcare legislation even if a Republican victory deprives Senate Democrats of the crucial 60th vote they need to overcome filibusters. The preferred Plan B would be to try to persuade House Democrats to approve the healthcare bill that the Senate adopted on Christmas Eve. But House Democrats have expressed complaints about the Senate legislation, and Congressional leaders and top White House officials, including President Obama, worked last week to negotiate various compromises, the New York Times reports.