On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, nearly one week after the Congressional Budget Office issued its estimate of the Senate Finance Committee's amended health care reform bill, the Committee passed America's Health Future Act by a vote of 14 to 9. Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine was the only Republican to join the 13 Democrats endorsing the Bill, stating: "...when history calls, history calls, and I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time." The Bill, as passed, does not include limitations on the tax deductibiliy of charitable gifts, but the process is not yet over.
The House committees reportedly completed merging their bills on October 13, 2009 and have sent their legislation to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and a small team of other Senate leaders will now try to reconcile the Finance Committee's Bill with the Bill approved by the Senate HELP Committee, The Affordable Health Choices Act.