Thursday, March 11, 2010
Health Care Reform
My money's on the passage of health care reform. The current system is unsustainable. Obama is right: If not now, when? If not us, who? I think the US House of Representatives will pass the Senate version of healthcare reform with the hope of reconciliation in the Senate to address some of their concerns. But, I have to say that I don't think the reconciliation plan will ultimately pan out. And vulnerable House Democrats will point the finger at the Senate and say that they promised changes through reconciliation, but didn't deliver. And Senate Democrats will shore up their cred by saying they stood firm in not allowing reconciliation to proceed. Either way, we get health care reform. And everyone knows that once it gets passed, and people see that their lives are not worse off, and may in fact be better off with such a safety net in place, we Americans will just acclimate ourselves to it.
Oklahoma and a host of other states are starting to work on amendments to their state Constitutions that specify their citizens may not be forced by government to purchase health insurance coverage, thus clearing the way for a Supreme Court battle if the current Health Care Reform legislation passes.
ReplyDeleteCurious to know what you think the Supreme Court is likely to say about it, should it come down to that. Personally I believe they are likely to strike down federally mandated coverage, taking us back to square one, which is what I've been arguing to anybody who will listen: If you want "healthcare as a right" you need to start with a Constitutional Amendment.
What do think the effect would be on the country to go through all this drama, pass the bill, only to have it nearly completely defanged by the SC?