WATERVILLE -- Don't expect health care reform gift-wrapped by Christmastime.

That's according to Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, who spoke about pending health care legislation Wednesday afternoon as she strolled Main Street and spoke with people in the downtown area.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that he expects to bring the legislation to the Senate floor next week and complete work on a bill by Christmas. The House approved a $1.2 trillion, 10-year bill this past weekend.

Speaking outside Jorgensen's Cafe, Snowe, who was the only Republican to vote for a version of the bill in committee, said she would not vote for the health legislation if it comes to a vote before the full Senate under Reid's timeline. More time is needed for legislators to examine the complex bill and obtain a final cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, she said.

Snowe said she last spoke with Reid on Tuesday night and urged him to slow the bill's review down, because "the more eyes on the legislation, the better."

"It's unrealistic," Snowe said of the Christmas deadline. "This is the start of a building process, and it takes time. It (the Christmas timeline) is not going to happen. I can't vote for a bill this large and important without taking as much time to get this as right as possible."

Snowe has previously expressed doubts on getting a health care bill passed by year's end, but her comments Wednesday revealed a sharper stance on what she sees as arbitrary deadlines.

Snowe is seen as a moderate on health legislation, and Democratic leaders, especially in the White House, have courted her vote. On one of the most contentious issues, she has proposed allowing a government "public option" as a last resort -- commonly known as the "trigger" approach -- if premiums keep rising and local health insurance markets remain controlled by a few big companies. Some moderate Democrats, who control the balance of power in the Senate, also favor that approach.

The House bill includes the public insurance option, paying for expanded coverage by raising taxes on upper-income earners.

Snowe, who has previously said she won't support a bill that includes a public option, said she still hopes the trigger approach will be adopted in the bill; she said her priority is to make health care affordable for everyone.

"Even if I don't support the bill, I'll do whatever I can to make it better," Snowe said.

Among the constituents Snowe spoke with on Main Street were Jeremy Cochrane, 19, of Waterville, a student at Kennebec Valley Community College, and his mother, Michelle Laverdiere.

Cochrane, who said he's spoken with Snowe on and off for the last seven years, expressed concerns about taxes and how health legislation might further weaken the country's economy. Cochrane asked Snowe to raise the issue of regulating pharmaceutical companies during the coming Senate debate.

Scott Monroe -- 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com