The Democrats are questioning the strength and viability of current health care legislation in the wake of Tuesday's defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race. Some ideas being kicked around? Scaling back the current legislation to its core elements or, once again, looking for measures that are more likely to gain bi-partisan support from Republicans.
However, most troubling (or pleasing given one's stance on the issue) for proponents of health reform may be Speaker Pelosi's (D-Ca) declaration that there don't seem to be enough votes to pass the current Senate health bill through the House of Representatives. Such a move appears to be the only option at the moment which would avoid sending the legislation back through the Senate, thus rendering it vulnerable to yet another filibuster if the Republicans choose to leverage their 41 votes.
via USA Today
by John Fritze
Days after Republicans scored an upset victory in the Massachusetts Senate election that has since stalled progress on health care, Democrats remained uncertain on how and when to advance those priorities.
"We have to step back, take a deep breath and realize that … these bills as they stand now are dead," said Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, among the Democrats pushing for a more incremental approach.
Breaking up President Obama's health care legislation — which would have expanded health coverage to 30 million Americans— or shifting to a scaled-down bill that might win bipartisan support are among two options Democrats are considering, Pascrell and others said.
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