The Race For Health Care Reform Goes Through Massachusetts
Why the rush? The answer may lie in Massachusetts. If someone would have said that the Massachusetts Senate seat had even a chance at turning Republican 6 months ago, eyes would have rolled. The fate of Health Care Reform may now rest with the Senate race on January 19 between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown. Even though some polls suggest that Scott Brown is ahead, others show Coakley with a commanding lead. It seems unlikely that the late Senator Kennedy's seat could be claimed by a Republican. But the "what if" considerations have both sides gearing up for the battle and the possible derailing of the Reform bill. The Democrats bypassing the formal Conference to combine the House and Senate versions may be to try and get a vote prior to a possible change in the Senate.
Ponder the unimaginable. If Scott Brown wins the Senate seat the 60 vote super majority is gone. He has already adamantly stated that he will vote against the Health Care bill and unlike some of the other Senators, his vote is unlikely for sale. Since it may take 2 weeks or more to certify the election, there will be a full court press to get a final bill ready before he would be sworn in. If Martha Coakley is elected, there will be a sigh of relief by Democrats and the hope of passing a bill is alive and well.
Some House and Senate Democrats have openly said that there are parts of the bill that will not work for them, but it is important to pass a bill and make changes later. The consensus seems to be that it doesn't matter what is in the bill, only that something is passed.
I would really like to see some of the proposals passed, but am still hoping that we find a way to keep what is working and change some additional areas of Health Care. The only way that might happen is with a strange turn of events in Massachusetts. It is likely that Martha Coakley will be elected and the current direction is unchanged. But, where's the fun in that?
TVP tvp@dyingforinsurance.com
Posted by The Virtual Patient at 1/15/2010 1:20 PM 
Categories: Insurance, Politics, Universal Healthcare
Tags: universal health Politics coverage
Categories: Insurance, Politics, Universal Healthcare
Tags: universal health Politics coverage
The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.
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The debate over the future of healthcare is going to dominate politics for the next few years. It will be interesting to see what may happen with insurance in the coming years.
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