The health bill has been in the spotlight for the past several months. The Obama backed bill has become the most talked about issue in the chambers and among common Americans. But it appears that after months of debate, Democratic leaders are putting the issue on the back burner, and moving other issues ahead of it. Democrats in Congress say they no longer feel pressure to move forward with the health bill.
This comes as President Obama urges leaders not to give up on affordable health insurance. The President has held healthcare reform as his top domestic priority since he took office. However, his plan has been greeted with tremendous opposition among Senate leaders and the recent Senator Scott Brown election caused Democrats to lose their majority.
Senate majority leader, Harry Reid says there is no rush and noted that Congress still have most of this year to work on the health bills. At the same time, two centrist Democrats who are up for re-election this year, Senators Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Evan Bayh of Indiana, said they would resist efforts to muscle through a health care bill using a parliamentary tactic called budget reconciliation, which seemed to be the easiest way to advance the measure. The White House had said in recent days that it would support that approach.
Senator Reid had previously wanted to pass the health bill early last August. Now, it appears Democrats are desperate to prove to voters they can get results before this years’ election. This seems to be fueling their shift of direction from the health bill. But the more Congressional leaders avoid the health bill, the more it faces a death.
President Obama doesn’t appear to have changed focus from medical insurance with Democratic leaders. During during the State of the Union Address, the President called out Democratic leaders reminding them that Americans were expecting them do what they said they would do and bring change to America.
