From: Steve Gida
Facing a stunning defeat in Massachusetts earlier this week, President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party allies have been scrambling to save their most beloved piece of legislation, the health care reform bill. In order to prevent a repeat of President Bill Clinton's attempted reform of the 1990's, Mr. Obama now seeks several strategies to ensure that the bill that will ultimately define his presidency not be trashed in the wake of the most significant victory since Obama's landslide defeat of Republican John McCain of 2008.
Angered by traditional Washington delays and legal red tape, Massachusetts voters came out in the hundreds of thousands to cast their vote for who will finish the remainder of the "Lion of the Senate", the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Republican Scott Brown, who rode on a wave of public discontent and and desire for a leader who would put aside partisan differences and get to work, defeated Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley, with public support riding 52 to 47 percent. Senator-elect Borwn has made it known he plans to begin his work in Washington immediately, with one of his first "to-do's" being a veto of the health care bill in its current form.
Leaving the President with little room to move, Democratic leaders are now considering several options:
1) Rush the bill through- Before Brown takes office, Senate Democrats could force House Dems to accept their version of the bill in order to salvage some form of victory. However, the President opposes this tactic, as he said that the people of Massachusetts chose Scott Brown, and now [he] would Brown to take part in the debate.
2) The bill dies- A dream for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, this scenario would revisit Bill Clinton's defeat of the early 90's and potentially disrupt President Obama's chances at the 2012 election season.
3) Reconciliation- The legislative process that allows certain bills in the Senate to be up for consideration without the threat of a filibuster. A controversial process at best, this allows any bill to pass through the Senate with only 51 votes as opposed to the traditional 60 votes. Mr. Obama had not agreed to this option, but is steadily shifting his stance towards the next option.
4) Revisit the bill- The most likely scenario, the President and top leading Democrats are considering making the bill smaller than its current form in order to garner moderate GOP support, most notably the vote of Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine.
After winning by turning public anger for former President George W. Bush into public support, Mr. Obama stands at a pivotal crossroads for himself, the Democratic Party, and the American people as a whole. Whatever option he decides on to continue his domestic agenda, here's how it will affect us as ordinary citizens:
1) More waiting time- For the millions of uninsured Americans, any action taken by the Obama Administration will result in more time for these uncared citizens before they can see a doctor's office without going bankrupt. Since most of the bill was not set to take effect until 2014 if passed this year, any more time would further stall these new laws, such as denying anyone coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition. Such unfair practices already exclude people born with diseases that were forced upon them, such as STD's, dwarfism, heart problems, and mental illness.
2) Less coverage- While the House bill extended coverage to 96 of uninsured Americans, the Senate bill extended it to 94 percent. One of the President's core points in the health care debate was that after the bill is submitted to the non-partisan Office of Management and Budget, the bill's total cost should not exceed 900 billion dollars, thereby not adding to the already steep federal deficit. The House bill exceeds one trillion, while the Senate plan cost 871 billion dollars, over the course of ten years, with a difference of two percent coverage.
However this rocky reform turns out, one thing is for sure: it will get worse for the uninsured before it gets better. Whether the bill is based on party lines or it generate bipartisan support, the process will consume more time. The middle class will feel it, and more will become uninsured or dropped in the meantime.