Healthcare battle set to focus on public plan

Congress is poised for a battle over whether a healthcare overhaul should include a new government-run health plan to compete with private companies in the effort to cover the uninsured. Democrats typically see more government involvement as a good way to check the private sector and help control costs, while Republicans fear the government will have unfair power over the market. The matter is likely to come to a head first in the Senate Finance Committee, where Chairman Max Baucus has pledged to write a bipartisan bill.