From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Congress slouches toward health care reform.

Hello again, I'm Mormon Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

President Obama says health care reform is closer than never, conceding what everybody knows,

there still is a long way to go.

There remain five different versions of the biggest government undertaking in 44 years,

three in the House and two in the Senate.

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi must reconcile their respective committee reports

to produce massive bills, hundreds of pages long, for debate and amendment.

What's common to all five proposals and what are the major differences?

What about coverage, cost, affordability, and the public option?

On reporters notebook later on, a new solution for New Orleans, a house that floats.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John

D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again. Warren Alleney, back with To the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation. Hello again, Warren Olney, back with To the Point. Health care reform is finally headed

toward the floors of the House and the Senate, presuming Democratic leaders can cobble together

five different proposals. Can they do it by next week? What are the likely issues once debate

finally gets underway? On reporter's notebook in

New Orleans, will floating houses provide protection from the next Katrina? First, this news update.

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