Mike Allen reports that White House officials "say January's tight legislative calendar means it's unlikely health reform will get to the president's desk before the State of the Union address (likely Jan. 26, maybe Feb. 2 --West Wing hasn't settled on date)."
"The House comes back Jan. 12 and then goes on a Democratic retreat. The Senate doesn't come back until Jan. 18. Everyone seems committed to getting a bill to the president's desk as soon as possible, but there are huge issues -- notably abortion language -- that have to be worked out between the House and the Senate. Officials at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue hope to avoid a FORMAL CONFERENCE -- appointing conferees requires a series of votes. Some House members want the formal process, but the differences are more likely to be hashed out among Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid and the White House, with some personal involvement by the president."
In addition, CBO scoring of the new bill could take an additional 7-10 days.