Kensky Street: Another Hill health showdown -- Crist facing abortion bill -- Sestak, Specter face-off on reform -- New Mexico talks caps for high-risk pool -- Poll: Americans expect reform benefits immediately

It's Thursday. "I've had the time of my life, though I never felt this Pulse before."

HAPPENING THIS MORNING – Another health care fight on the Hill. The House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee meets this morning to discuss a thorny issue in health regulation: requiring medical providers to disclose prices. Insurers and providers have traditionally negotiated prices in private, leading to large price disparities. The issue has prompted a possible bipartisan, GOP-led compromise—but one that must face down a more aggressive, Democrat-led proposal.

The Hill's Julian Pecquet reports: “A centrist Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee has endorsed two Republican proposals requiring hospitals to disclose their prices, pitting him against other Democrats on the panel who are pushing a much broader bill. Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) hopes to bring other Democrats with him, arguing a scaled-down approach stands a better chance of becoming law than the Democratic proposal, which would apply to all healthcare providers, including hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, drug makers and insurers. ‘If you try to take everything on,’ Green said, ‘you usually get nothing.’”

Meanwhile, Steve Kagen (D-Wisc.) continues to pursue a more aggressive bill, setting the stage for a possible showdown. Inside Health Policy’s Sam Baker reports: “Of the three bills on tap for Thursday's hearing, only Kagen's would directly apply to drug makers. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said drug price data are already available through the Medicare Plan Finder and formulary information for private plans. ‘Overly broad proposals that aim to disclose confidential pricing agreements and terms could have a negative impact on patients,’ PhRMA said in a statement. ‘The Federal Trade Commission has reported that disclosure of negotiated price terms could lead to higher costs for prescription medicines by undercutting vigorous competition in the marketplace.’”

The subcommittee meets at 10 a.m. to discuss the legislation.

ABORTION VETO DEFINING MOMENT FOR NEWLY-INDEPENDENT CRIST – The St. Petersburg Times’ John Frank reports: “Facing an intense public outcry, Charlie Crist confronts possibly the toughest decision of his term as governor: whether to sign or veto a bill antiabortion advocates call the ‘most significant pro-life measure that's ever happened in Florida's history.’ The high-stakes verdict holds political implications for Crist's nonpartisan U.S. Senate campaign and highlights a polarizing issue that the candidate would rather avoid, given his mixed record on abortion…. The legislation — forced through by House Republicans at the 11th hour of the legislative session — requires a woman seeking an abortion to view an ultrasound and listen to a doctor describe the fetus. It also prohibits private health insurers from covering abortions if the plan is subsidized by the federal or state government. This includes policies offered through exchanges and tax breaks to small businesses that provide coverage, as designed in the recently approved federal health care law. Crist appears increasingly likely to veto the abortion bill,”

PULSE EXCLUSIVE – “Approximately 57.2 million people under the age of 65—more than one in five (22.4 percent) of America’s non-elderly population—have a diagnosed pre-existing condition that could lead to a denial of coverage in the individual health insurance market, according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA.” The paper will be published to the Families USA website at noon today. It is the first in a monthly series of data-driven dispatches that are meant to underscore the urgency of health care reform.

HAPPENING TODAY – Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and other top Democrats will make an appearance at AFL-CIO’s ‘Thank You’ Rally outside the Longworth Building at noon today. The labor group promises “1,000 union activists from across America who advocated for the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’ passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama.”