With the US House and Senate having based separate bills on health care reform, it's time to merge the two bills into one, in order to present a single bill that both chambers can pass and send to the President. However, since Republicans seems intent on slowing down the process anyway they can, Democrats, who hold the majority, have decided to do negotiations informally, in a process called "ping pong" where formal procedures are skipped and officials work out agreements outside the chambers and away from the spotlight.