House Plans To Pass Smaller Health Reform Bills; Larger Package Still On The Table

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 01 Feb 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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In a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that House leaders plan to introduce smaller-scale health reform legislation that can win quick approval before the chamber recesses on Feb. 11, CQ Today reports. However, the legislation -- which might consist of multiple bills -- would not pre-empt a larger, more comprehensive reform package like the one currently stalled in House-Senate negotiations, Pelosi said. "Some things we can do on the side," she said, adding, "But it's not a substitute for comprehensive reform" (Epstein, CQ Today, 1/28). According to the New York Times, the first small-scale bill that could be proposed would eliminate the exemption of health insurance companies from federal antitrust law. The House bill (HR 3962) includes the provision, but the Senate bill (HR 3590) does not (Herszenhorn/Pear, New York Times, 1/29).

Pelosi said that negotiations will continue, though she declined to give a timetable for reaching a deal, CQ Today reports. Pelosi also would not say whether Democrats would move the legislation forward using the budget reconciliation process, which would only require a simple majority in the Senate (CQ Today, 1/28).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said on Thursday that he is looking "very, very closely" at reconciliation, adding, "That's where a lot of the procedural problems come in. It's real tough to do it the right way and we don't know how to do that yet." However, several Democrats have said they oppose or are at least skeptical of the procedural maneuver. Reid could afford to lose nine votes from his 59-member caucus, assuming Vice President Biden would break a tie in favor of the bill, Roll Call reports. Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said there could be a time limit on how long Democrats wait to use reconciliation because the instructions that allow the procedure apply only until a new budget is passed. According to Roll Call, the annual deadline for passing a new budget is April 15, although Congress "routinely blows past that date."

Still, Reid expressed confidence that health reform would move forward, adding, "We're going to do health care reform this year. The question is procedurally how do we do it" (Pierce, Roll Call, 1/28). Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Democrats could decide on a strategy before they leave for the Presidents Day recess (Budoff Brown, Politico, 1/28).

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