By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) - The House is moving into the final phase of the health care debate later in the day, with the Congressional Budget Office expected to release its much awaited cost estimate of the reconciliation bill and as Democrats reveal the final language of that package.

The House Rules Committee is expected to meet Thursday to consider the procedures governing the rules of the debate.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has said that he expects the House vote to occur by the end of the week.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will post the reconciliation bill on the Internet at least 72 hours before the vote.

Some lawmakers have said they expect a House vote Saturday or Sunday.

One of the critical issues remaining is the process by which the House votes on health care reform.

The House must approve the Senate's health care bill, which was passed on Christmas Eve, and then a budget reconciliation bill which includes a host of adjustments to that bill. These adjustments are expected to remove several controversial deal for individual senators that were in the Senate bill as well as changes to the proposed tax on high cost insurance plans and increasing the reach of Medicare's 2.9% payroll tax.

House Democratic leaders are openly considering using a rule for the debate on the reconciliation bill that would allow House members to avoid a direct vote on the Senate bill.

Under this scenario, the Senate bill would be "deemed" passed if either the rule is adopted or the reconciliation bill is passed by the House.

Analysts have said this use of a so-called self executing rule is an aggressive, but legal, tactic.

Congressional Republicans have blasted it as an "unseemly" way of avoiding a direct vote on the Senate bill by House Democrats.

House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have focused most of their recent remarks on the likely use of a reconciliation bill and the self-executing rule in the House.

"We saw the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, Gator Aid and all the rest. But as ugly as all this was -- as distasteful as all these deals have been -- they were child's play compared to the scheme they've been cooking up in the House this week," McConnell said Tuesday.

If House Democrats approve the Senate-passed health care bill and the reconciliation bill this week, the action shifts to the Senate.

Senate Democratic leaders are hoping to pass the reconciliation bill next week, but will probably have to first to defeat dozens -- if not hundreds -- of Republican amendments.

Congress is scheduled to begin its spring recess a week from Friday.

Separately, the Senate passed Wednesday the final version of a $17.5 billion tax and spending bill. The bill includes payroll tax credits, a small business expensing provision, bond financing for state and local infrastructure projects, and an extension of surface transportation projects.

The bill was approved 68 to 29.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **