Healthcare: The Un-Baked Cake - Has It Melted?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Healthcare: The Un-Baked Cake - Has It Melted?

In the wake of the Massachusetts massacre, inquiring minds are wondering "Is Healthcare Dead?"

That is certainly a good question given senator-elect Scott Brown's repeated statements he would be the 41st senator to reject it. However, that possibility needs to be balanced with the possibility the house accepts the senate version of the bill as is, or the house attempts a legislative move known as reconciliation (allowed only once per year).

Today we have clarification from President Obama that the house will not accept the senate version straight up, and reconciliation is likely off the table. So where does that leave us?

Please consider Obama Weighs Paring Goals for Health Bill http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/healt ... ealth.html

President Obama signaled on Wednesday that he might be willing to scale back his proposed health care overhaul to a version that could attract bipartisan support, as the White House and Congressional Democrats grappled with a political landscape transformed by the Republican victory in the Massachusetts Senate race.

“I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements of the package that people agree on,â€