Irreconcilable Differences on Health Bill

(CBS)  With Democrats pledging to move ahead on their health care plans following Thursday's bipartisan health care summit, much of the talk has focused on whether they will use a procedural method known as "reconciliation" to pass a final measure through he Senate.

Reconciliation would allow Democrats to pass the bill with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than face a potential Republican filibuster requiring 60 votes to move the legislation forward.

Since Republicans now hold 41 votes in the 100-seat chamber following Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts last month, reconciliation appears to be on the radar for many Democrats. But the prospect has drawn fierce debate among Democrats and Republicans, as was evident during Sunday's "Face the Nation."

Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad (N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the possible use of reconciliation by saying that the procedure would only be used for "minor" issues with the bill.

"Reconciliation cannot be used to pass comprehensive health care reform," he told host Bob Schieffer. "It won't work because it was never designed for that kind of significant legislation; it was designed for deficit reduction."

Conrad said the role played by reconciliation in health care reform "would be very limited. It would be on sidecar issues designed to improve what passed the Senate and what would have to pass the House for health care reform to move forward."

Conrad said that owing to the Byrd rule, which states that non-budgetary sections of a bill must be removed before consideration, major portions of the legislation would need to be jettisoned. "That would eliminate all the delivery system reform, all the insurance market reform, all of those things the experts tell us are really the most important parts of this bill. ... The only possible role that I can see for reconciliation would be to make modest changes in the major package to improve affordability, to deal with what share of Medicaid expansion the federal government pays, those kinds of issues, which is the traditional role for reconciliation in health care,"

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Conrad is apparently referring to a plan pushed by some Democrats by which the House would pass the bill passed by the Senate (thus sending that bill to President Obama's desk), and then changes to that bill would be taken up via reconciliation.

But Republicans are not happy about that prospect.

"It shouldn't be done at all," Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said.

"That's not a reasonable position to take, Congresswoman," Conrad responded. "On relatively minor issues, it's totally reasonable."

"But this is not a minor issue," Blackburn said.

"Well, health care reform at large . . . the major package would not be done through reconciliation. That would be unreasonable. But that's not going to happen here," Conrad said. He cited COBRA and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as health-related issues that in the past have gone forward through reconcliation.

"I think that, on the reconciliation issue, if they had the votes, we wouldn't have had the summit. And if they try to go through reconciliation, it will be a change in semantics," Blackburn said.

"Instead of the American people saying 'stop the bill' or 'kill the bill,' it's all going to be about repealing the bill. That's not the kind of discussion that they want."

"The danger of what's happening right now in terms of using reconciliation is, the purpose of the Senate is going to be defeated," added Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), also appearing on the show. "And that is to bring consensus to big issues in this country so that we have a reasoned and thoughtful approach and that the American public buys into it."

Many Democrats have pointed out that Republicans have also used reconciliation to pass big bills like welfare reform and the Bush tax cuts, but Coburn said the difference between those cases and the current health care debate is that those bills had some bipartisan support.

"Welfare reform happened with reconciliation; half the Democrats voted for it. The Bush tax cuts happened with reconciliation; twelve Democratic Senators voted for it," he said. "You didn't have a real partisan issue on those times that it was used."

Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.) also defended the use of reconciliation on the show.

"It's a parliamentary term, but it's simply a process that the Senate adopted to allow it to deal with, in an expeditious way, issues that relate to the budget," he said.

But Coburn had another warning for Democrats who want to move ahead with reconciliation.

"If you use reconciliation on this health care bill as we see today, what you're going to have is a thumbing of the nose at the American people," Coburn added. "They don't agree with it."

More from Face the Nation:

Steny Hoyer: Health Care Will Move Forward
ems, GOP Divided on Health Care Costs
Bob Schieffer: The Strange Obsession With Curling
Full Transcript

[orperspectiv]

The Senate has already passed a major health care package (by 60 to 39) - it does not need to pass it again. The Senate will use reconciliation to pass modifications to that bill by majority vote to match modifications to the Senate bill coming from the House budget committee.

This is what happened with the earlier COBRA and CHIP amendments to earlier Senate bills, and how reconciliation has often been used in the past by Republicans and Democrats.

Everyone at the table seems to want to obscure this process for strategic reason, but the White House will make it happen.

[erich_1-2009]

Here's the truth!

Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad (N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the possible use of reconciliation by saying that the procedure would only be used for "minor" issues with the bill.

"Reconciliation cannot be used to pass comprehensive health care reform," he told host Bob Schieffer. "It won't work because it was never designed for that kind of significant legislation; it was designed for deficit reduction."

Conrad said the role played by reconciliation in health care reform "would be very limited. It would be on sidecar issues designed to improve what passed the Senate and what would have to pass the House for health care reform to move forward."

Conrad said that owing to the Byrd rule, which states that non-budgetary sections of a bill must be removed before consideration, major portions of the legislation would need to be jettisoned. "That would eliminate all the delivery system reform, all the insurance market reform, all of those things the experts tell us are really the most important parts of this bill. ... The only possible role that I can see for reconciliation would be to make modest changes in the major package to improve affordability, to deal with what share of Medicaid expansion the federal government pays, those kinds of issues, which is the traditional role for reconciliation in health care,"

I'm a Republican! I say ram it through with Reconcilication! When you get the Bill it won't be at all what the Obama Administration wants to begin with. Don't start over like the Republicans want, that will only be good for the Democrats. The voters will reject the stupid ram it through Reconciliation stuff, and when the Dems finally get this Reconciliation junky bill when they want to fix it up there will be more Republicans to "negotiate with."

Hey you Leftist Democrats, don't listen to Senator Conrad, afterall he's just the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, a Moderate, he doesn't know what he is talking about...so just shove it down our throats!

[ellenbrandtphd]

Because of their role as caretakers for their elderly parents, the healthcare debate has moved many Baby Boomers, whatever their nominal political affiliation, to the Center.

Readers might find much to chew on in "A Daughter Among Daughters Reaps Scorn," about an accountant whose life has been turned upside down by her decision to care for her aged Mom and Dad:

"When her elderly parents became ill, she gave up her job, her security, and her comfortable middle-class existence. If something isn?t done soon, she says, Baby Boomers will become the New Poor."

See: http://angriestgeneration.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/a-daughter-among-daughters-reaps-scorn-suellens-story/

(Dr. Ellen Brandt is founder of the Centrists Group at Linked In and the BoomerNetwork, IvyLeague, and Centrists Twibes at Twitter)

[stormerF2]

When a majority of the American People do not want this bill,why is it not better to go ahead and work on one that will help. Anyone know that if they go to reconciliation,there will be no coverage for pre-existing condition? It can not be covered under reconcilication rules,because it does not fit the definition of terms described in the terms of reconcilication. Bed wetters get a grip,adopt some good tort refom and across state competition,and stop the attempted take over.

[kenhamlett]

If these guys can't get together on a realistic solution, I suggest the Goldberg strategy. Her idea is quite simple and effective.
"Give me what you've got!"
If it is so cheap to keep a Congressman healthy, it should be even cheaper to keep us all healthy.

[-One_American-]

Democrats will be committing political suicide this week when they attempt to force their will upon the majority of Americans who oppose everthing they are doing.

Lets give them enough rope to let them hang themselves.

When they are all out of office by the next elections, then RESPONSIBLE representatives will take their place and overturn Obama care and ALL Socialist entitlements that are destroying this country.

Counting down the few days to the end of Liberal ideology and its chokehold on America...

[curse914]

I agree, lets kill medicare while we are at it. This is a man eat man world, Social Darwinism in FULL EFFECT! Let's get back to America during the Gilded Age, the greatest age of all, for ... Robber Barons!

Oh and to please you and the "majority" of Americans, can we make it a Gilded Age Theocracy! God Bless America!

[ky7474]

The GOP is a strange group, they love war and all the killing seems to be very acceptable. Many claim to be good Christians, but they can't stand social programs to help the less fortunate. They are easily overcome by fear and don't seem to mind lying if they think it will benefit them. Their policies which are directed by mega corporations just sold out the country, destroyed the economy, and ruined millions of lives. Yet, they think they should still be in control. We've seen where this road goes, dems should take the next left, put the pedal to the metal and not look back.

[michaelm07]

Differences of opinions and debating thinking persons is peferable to name-calling but I am sorry, you are clearly an idiot. Using your analogy, they already have turned left and put the pedal to the metal and they are driving us off a cliff. I suppose that is change 'you' can believe in. I hope you are riding in the back seat.

[stormerF2]

KY7474,.........I believe you have the GOP mixed up with the Democrats,who destroyed the mortgage industry,thru Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Who has a Majority in the Senate and Congress? Why are you bedwetters still blaming the GOP for your party not being able to govern?

[ToolMangler1]

There is one more way to view this, Other than Medicare/Medicaid, what is there for people that don't qualify and have no high paying job with company sponsored insurance???
All Presidents since WWII have spoken out for 'Health care for all'.
I know this because I have heard them speak. At this precise moment, Obama is closer to a done deal than any of the others. If you don't believe me, just ask the Clintons. Every lobbyist from every Pharmaceutical company and Insurance company has been up to their eyeballs in work trying to blast this bill to smithereens. What!!!! You thought all those loudmouths at the "Town Halls" and other forums were just 'Concerned Joe Citizen'???? WOW!!!! Hey!! Joe was there but he got shouted down by the Big Money Boys. Everywhere you look, there are 'Activist groups' that have absolutely no idea how they came to be. (But it looked good and spoke to our interests, so we joined). I am NOT pro-Government but I am NOT Anti-Government either. I know better than to cut off my nose to spite my face!!! Lets get this bill done and signed into law, then knock off the rough edges, (That is what Congresses job was originally about in the beginning). We have to have "SOMETHING" to work with, right now, 'anything' is better than nothing.
(And yes!! I know the 'possible hazards' of that statement, Big Brother and all)

[fedup12]

You know I am not the biggest Gov. run health care proponent out there. But when I think we could have paid for health care for us for years with what we spent in Iraq it makes me angry.

And it took about a weekends debate to vote the Iraq war in.

Look at what we have there. All that money just blown up. Might have well just been throwing it in an incinerator for all the good it did us.

Recons are all for unjustifiable wars but health care for the people? That is where they draw the line.

[ky7474]

Look at the corrupt war on drugs, especially marijuana. All the killings of innocent people, the ruined lives, and the tons of money going to organized crime because of this corrupt prohibition. Their not worried about the dangerous drugs big pharma produces. They kill far more people than so called illicit drugs do.

[stormerF2]

So where is your justification to keeping the wars going,in both Iraq and afghanistan? What they are free now under Obama's Administration?.You need to lay off the Koolaid its making you dizzy again.

[ToolMangler1]

Why can't we have the same health plan that Congress has???

I have asked the same question of several politicians and gotten the same lie everytime, ?We are working on it everyday?.
All they have to do is make a bill that covers every American just like it does the Senators and Representatives in congress (even after they retire). If they can pay for theirs and fight two wars at the same time, all they have to do is end one of the wars and we can ?ALL? have good healthcare.
(I love that phrase, ?All we have to do is?? Yes, sometimes things are just ?that? simple)

[stormerF2]

We can not do that? the Democrats would not be able to blame Bush any more if they ended the wars.

[retm-w]

ToolMangler

You forgot the phrase "I'll get back to you on that" I just love the form letters and e mails I get back from my representatives from both parties. I recieved the same e mail reply on two totally differen't pieces of legislation.