Indianapolis Star: Bayh Rejects Rush Job on Health Care

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Bayh Rejects Rush Job on Health Care

Source: Indianapolis Star

Two centrist senators Tuesday threw up a roadblock to salvaging President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul, as Democrats agonized over whether to push forward or shift to idle until political resistance subsides.

Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., both facing re-election this year in Republican-leaning states, said they would oppose the strategy Democratic leaders are considering to reconcile the House and Senate bills and put comprehensive legislation on Obama's desk.

That approach involves reconciliation, a special budget-related procedure that requires only 51 votes to advance. The strategy to get around Republican opponents in the Senate would be a calculated risk sure to inflame critics on the political right.

"My concern is that if reconciliation is used, that will really destroy any prospects for bipartisan cooperation on anything else for the remainder of this year," Bayh said. "That would be a regrettable state of affairs, something I think the American public would not react well to."

"There are no easy choices," acknowledged House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., insisting that the goal remains the same: to pass far-reaching legislation that would expand coverage, reduce costs and improve quality.

Even as Bayh and Lincoln made their concerns known, House Democratic leaders reported progress in trying to get their rank and file to accept a modified version of the Senate bill.

Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat, told reporters he thinks the House could pass the Senate bill if lawmakers get rid of special Medicaid deals for Louisiana and Nebraska and dial back a tax on high-cost insurance plans opposed by labor unions.

A week after the loss of a Massachusetts Senate seat, their 60th vote, cost Democrats undisputed control of the congressional agenda, leaders have yet to find their way on health care.

"There is no rush," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after a meeting of Democrats that focused on jobs and the economy, not health care.

Lawmakers hope Obama will help guide them when he delivers his State of the Union address tonight. Obama is unlikely to delve into the strategy for passing a health-care bill, Hoyer said, but he is expected to stress the importance of getting comprehensive legislation along the lines of what the House and Senate already passed.

Democrats now have four options, Hoyer said: No bill, a scaled-back measure designed to attract some Republican support, House passage of the Senate bill, or House passage of the Senate bill with both chambers making changes to bridge their differences.

Of those options, only one has been ruled out. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said last week she does not have the votes to pass the Senate bill without any changes.

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