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While the patient seemingly does not have a pulse, he is very much alive.

The health care reform is making its way, behind the scenes, through the Congress.

Will it ever make it to the President desk? 

Nobody knows, but Democrats know failure to pass it will be a very black eye just in time for the November elections.

The New York Times reports:

...[Obama's]...town-hall-style meeting at a local high school here was the fifth time he had taken questions from an audience or over the Internet in 12 days, and he rejected the notion that the Massachusetts election doomed the health care overhaul.

“Suddenly everybody says, ‘Oh no, it’s over,’ ” Mr. Obama said in mocking tones. “Well, no, it’s not over. We just have to make sure that we move methodically and that the American people understand what’s in the bill.”

The strong emphasis on health care came a week after he did not mention it until deep into his State of the Union address, and he seemed intent on erasing any doubts about his commitment.

“We had to go into overtime,” Mr. Obama said. “But we are now in the red zone. That’s exactly right. We’re in the red zone. We’ve got to punch it through.”...

Rachel Maddow reports:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Politico reports:

With the broader health care bill still perilously close to collapse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to take a shot at the health insurance industry next week by scheduling a vote on a smaller bill to revoke its half-century-old exemption from antitrust laws.

The vote is part of her new two-track strategy to tackle things that won’t be included in a more sweeping bill — if Congress ever passes one — while giving her members something politically popular to vote on. The move also puts pressure on Republicans, the industry and wavering Democrats, who wish their leaders would abandon the push altogether.

The bill comes as party brass struggles to find a path forward in the broader health care reform effort and amounts to a concession to her caucus as more sweeping legislation twists in the wind.  

The House bill would resemble a section of the House health care bill that ends an exemption for health and medical malpractice insurers and grants the federal government more authority to regulate antitrust laws.

The Senate didn’t include an antitrust provision in its health care legislation because Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) couldn’t muster the 60 votes needed to include it.

Also, Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson — himself a former state insurance commissioner — opposed the House measure, so the bill would face long odds in the Senate.

But leaving a meeting with Pelosi, Reid said, “We will be happy to look at it.”

Here's the President's town hall meeting in New Hampshire - where health reform was front and center: