Pelosi Says Health Bill As Is Will Probably Not Pass in House

Posted in Health Insurance

January 26th, 2010

It seems that Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown may not have as much of an effect on the fate of the health care overhaul as the House, as told by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She noted on Thursday, Jan. 21 that she did not believe that the Senate’s version of the health care reform had enough support from the House of Representatives to pass without changes.

The Fork in the Road

After Senate Democrats lost their crucial 60th vote with the loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat to Republican Senate Brown on Tuesday, Jan. 19, they considered simply pushing the Senate’s version of the health care bill through the House.

However, Pelosi says this probably won’t happen because some House Democrats object to several provisions in the Senate bill, including the tax on high-cost health insurance plans and the less-restrictive policy on using federal funds to cover abortions.

Democrats Changing Focus to Jobs

Since the fork in the road can’t be merged into a smooth path as of yet, Democrats have decided to simply switch gears and focus on turning in their proposals to create jobs and bolster the economy. Polls show that the health care bill is unpopular with the public right now and could cost them some very important seats in the November elections and they’re not will to take any chances like they did last week.

So what happens to the bill in the meantime? Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer suggests that Congress may not touch the bill again for about three months as they quietly ponder a scaled-back option or possibly a parliamentary process called a reconciliation that would only require a 51-vote majority – however, it would limit issues and have a major budgetary impact.

Unfortunately, as we wait for answers, millions are still without health insurance in the country. A process like this truly makes you wonder what’s more important, progress or politics.

What do you think?