In an Associated Press article published Sunday, Democrats vow to continue their attempt at a massive overhaul of America’s health care systems and Republicans promise to resist it.
Both sides agree that there is a need for serious reform to our current system. Democrats seek a “public option” that would allow for the government to act as a competitor with private sector insurance companies. Republicans reject this measure, and instead, offer free market solutions, alleviation of tax burdens and tort reform.
But, since the Democrats have the votes in Congress, it appears as though the only health care legislation that will reach the floor, at least until midterm elections in 2010, will be those authored by leading Democrats and the Republicans will be forced to continue playing defense.
While they are certainly outnumbered, the GOP is not alone. Fiscally conservative Democrats in Congress make up what is called the Blue Dog Coalition, a group that has already harshly criticized their liberal colleagues’ proposals as neglecting the need for competitiveness and putting bureaucrats before patients and their physicians.
Still, the Congressional Left wants to persuade the American public that despite Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) calling off the health care debate in the Senate until after the August recess, they maintain the votes on the House side to do something, and do something now. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bragged on CNN’S “State of the Union” that she had secured the votes to pass the bill in the House.
“When I take this bill to the floor, it will win. We will move forward, it will happen,” Pelosi said.
Even if she is right, her Democratic colleagues in the Senate don’t seem so sure. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), chairman of the powerful budgetary committee, admitted that the Democrats just haven’t locked up the support on the Senate side to pass it.
“Look, there are not the votes for Democrats to do this just on our side of the aisle,” Conrad said.
Conrad’s statements signal that moderate Democrats in the Senate haven’t signed onto the Affordable Health Choices Act, a bill from the ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) that would attempt to offer universal coverage through a public option.
Pelosi neglected to acknowledge that it just might not be that easy on her side, either. 40 members of the Blue Dog Coalition expressed in a letter to her earlier this month that they would not sign the bill in its current form. 62 total Democrats in the House have indicated that they oppose at least one major component in the bill in its current form.
No matter what happens in the House, nothing will be heard on the Senate side until at least September. Therefore, President Obama’s goal of signing sweeping health care reform legislation by August recess cannot and will not be met.
