 (Image: donkeyhotey under CC 3.0) |
It’s down to the wire on health insurance reform: President Obama has set what he hopes is the final deadline for having a bill on his desk, Easter. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has pledged that her chamber of Congress will be done with its debate next week.
Pelosi is pushing for the House of Representatives to agree to the budget reconciliation workaround, which will allow the Senate to finalize passage with only 51 votes. She would like to have them pass the Senate’s existing healthcare reform bill by March 17th. The extra time prior to Capitol Hill’s spring break vacation is required in order to put together the budget- and tax-related provisions and modifications that can be passed separately in the Senate.
The package of changes is meant to appeal to leery House liberals, who believe that the more staid Senate bill doesn’t go far enough to make health insurance plans more affordable for Americans.
Tags: health insurance, healthcare reform, house of representatives, nancy pelosi, obama
