The Senate, Not the House, Is the Name of the Game on Health Care Reform

President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, key House and Senate Democratic and Republicans, and most importantly the major pharmaceuticals and private insurers know one thing, and they've known it from the start of the health care debate. And that's that the Senate, not the house, will decide what, if any, health care reform plan is finally approved.

The pharmaceuticals and private insurers have repeatedly and forcefully made it clear that they flatly reject a true public option, any enforced restrictions of their right to charge whatever the freight will carry for health care, or dump or summarily exclude anyone who's too sick, poor, or too old from coverage. They also made it abundantly clear that they'll only accept a bill that requires millions to be covered by them at government (taxpayers) expense and that slaps penalties on those who refuse to go along with it.

The full enactment of the main provisions of whatever health care bill is passed won't take place for nearly another decade and that gives private insurers time to hike prices to cover any added costs in policy and coverage changes they must make under reform. They've fielded an army of lobbyists and health insurer flacks, held secret deal cutting meetings at the White House, stuffed millions in the campaign coffers of leading Democratic senators (including one-time Senator Obama), and poured more millions into ads, mailers, and planted articles to get their way.

The Senate, and even more specific, the Senate Finance Committee, has been the target of the insurers' relentless, prolonged, and well-oiled campaign to get the most generous industry health care plan possible, or no plan at all. Their time, effort and money has been well-spent. The finance committee quickly killed the public option, slapped penalties on non-buyers, and imposed no tough and enforced procedures to compel the private insurers to keep their bargain to insure everyone. It did not stamp on tight cost containment measures to insure that private insurers keep their prices down.

Senate leaders did not raise a peep at the crude, naked blackmail threat by America's Health Insurance Plans, the private health insurer's industry group. It publicly waved around a study it commissioned that claimed that private insurers would have to sharply increase the prices families would pay if the House version of the health care reform plan passed.

The actual house vote is far from the great victory that Pelosi and Democratic leaders declared. The Democrats had a crushing majority, had poll after poll that showed the public wants a real public option and full affordable health coverage for all, and no cuts in the Medicare services (the cuts are in the House and Senate bills). Yet, the house bill still barely squeaked through, and then only after Pelosi and other House liberals shamefully back pedaled and excised abortion coverage from the bill. This all guaranteed that the resistance to the most liberal provisions of the House bill will be even more ferocious in the Senate.

Even if none of these factors came into play in the Senate, it still more often than not has been the graveyard for House-passed legislation that the Senate considers too liberal, too pro-labor, too expansive, too costly, and too non-industry friendly. In the past couple of years the Senate has killed House-passed legislation on tougher energy standards, scaling back contributions to the IMF, increased education spending, House amendments on Iraq and Afghanistan troop withdrawal and decreased war spending, and immigration and major banking reforms. For years, it bottled up the House-passed expanded hate crimes bill.

Industry groups dead set against the House bill have one more trump card, and that's the conference committees. The Senate can amend, change the language, or red pencil out anything in a House bill it likes. It then tosses it back to the House to amend, change the language or excise things that the Senate wants tossed out. The conference committee negotiations on controversial legislation are long, tedious, and drawn out. When or even if agreement is ever reached it then goes back to both the full body of the House and Senate for a vote. There's no time frame for completion for any of this. Nor is there any requirement the Senate take a final vote. This was the case with other pieces of "landmark" bills the house passed.

The House vote on health care reform was historic only in that one body of Congress took the hotly contested first big step toward reform. The Senate hasn't spoken. And it, not the House, is the name of the game on health care reform.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book, How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press) will be released in January 2010.

 

Comments

[NCAV2]

They should just get rid of the Senate. I don't understand how the needs of a state like Iowa is equal to the needs of a state like California.

[totalliberal]

Cynicism and stating the obvious. I must congratulate you for making a living with this kind of rubbish Mr. Hutchinson.

[janeycat]

This means that we have to push for single payer then we will more than likely get a public option. We will get to where we want to be. And it will not cost everyone a arm and a leg. we made it through this and we will go even farther towards equal health care for everyone.
The senate will not be able to stop health care reform. We can ask for more then they will give some to get some.
I have not come this far in life to sit back and do nothing and i believe the majority of the people feel the same no matter how many tea bags they wear on their ears and hats.It just shows them to be fo.ols. And shows them to be hea.rtless because of the signs they carry.

[Eileen Left]

I love your optimism but even Hilary was bought by this industry back when the Clintons brought up the health care reform debate. She was paid to stop speaking about the issue and she did! There's too much money involved for this to ever be about health! Its about politics and greed. As we can all see, greed is winning!!!

[Mike182]

We the people always will be forced to take a back seat to corporate greed and lust for power. Unfortunately both run rampant in Congress.

[Veola]

So, the passage of a Health Care Bill in the Senate is hopeless--is that what we’re to believe? What the hell!

[Mike182]

If the bill contains a public option it will go down in the Senate. Guaranteed. The health insurance industry has spent hundreds of millions to ensure no bill with a public option will ever make it into law. It is the final move in their end game.

Make us all have to carry an insurance policy

Strip any thing that controls or limits what they can charge once they have us

Delay implementation so they can maximize profits before the law fully kicks in.

Kill any government competition

They have 3 out of 4 things so far. So I highly doubt the public option will make it through. It's not about what is good for us, it's about what health insurers will let Congress do for us.

[Jesster]

The only way out of this self-perpetuating nightmare is via genuine CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. And I don't mean the namby-pamby sleight-of-the-hand decoy ala McCain-Feingold: Public Financing Only (not optional!)

Just once, can we finally be honest about this:

Money is NOT Free Speech. Money IS Property.

[Eileen Left]

This is going to turn out just like the stimulus pkg - the GOP gets the dems to totally "water it down" so it doesn't go far enough to really help people. Then the GOP votes against it anyways. And for all their concessions the dems will just get blamed by the GOP who will come out and say "See, we told you this reform bill wasn't the right answer". Conservatism by nature just means selfish! I can't believe the dems can't turn the spotlight on the GOP's loyalty to the bloated profits of the health insurance industry. Kucinich is the only one with political balls!

[kdp59]

i think you've hit the nail on the head here.

the first and ONLY consideration for ANY legislation congress considers should be "does it help the majority of people in the middle/working class".

shifting the cost of health insurance from employers to employees does NOT!

creating a "personal Mandate" to buy insurance instead of an EMPLOYER mandate, does NOT!

having NO price controls on insurance plans, does NOT!

so why are we progressives even CONSIDERING the Senate's bill?

[Mike182]

It used to be politicians went to Washington to make a change......now they go their to make their fortunes.

[Eileen Left]

and become lobbyists for the industry they regulated as a lawmaker!

[Mike182]

I'm all for health care reform but it's very eye brow raising when it comes with a mandate that you have to be insured with stiff penalties if you are not. Clearly shows that our government panders to and makes concessions to an industry that for decades has abused Americans by placing profits over people. All the rhetoric we have heard. Politicians in public on video railing against the insurance industry evils are the same faces behind closed doors ensuring that we owe the health insurance industry money for the rest of our lives with nothing to slow premium and deductible hikes . I want reform but I doubt we will ever see true reform. The health insurers are too big, too wealthy and too powerful for our politicians not to be swayed to fall in line with them over us.

[AnnfromCA]

Of course, and it's absolutely appalling that this would ever even happen. It will bankrupt us beyond our own borders.

It'll be a true global disaster.

[djs111]

Just to be clear about where I am coming from, I think we need single payer. That will help our citizens AND make us more competitive in the world.

[rosiebond007]

Very doubtful if that would even get a whisper now.

[kdp59]

sad part is that Single-payer is EASIER to explain and understand also!

showing Middle class/working people how expanding Medicare to incude all with an increase in Medicare taxes to 8% for EMPLOYERS and 5% for EMPLYEES, doesn't increase healthcare cost for most family's OR employers, is easy and truthful.

showing how each person never has to worry about losing their job AND health insurance again, and you can go to ANY doctor and show your SS card for service.

showing how with yearly out of pocket caps based on income (no more than 5%) will mean no one will ever again have to go bankrupt due to getting sick.

showing how having one payer will save money for doctors, hospitals and others in billing/debt collection.

Single payer would ahve been something that especially in todays economic environment would have been accepted by the majority....IF we had had leadership.

the same people voting/fighting these cobbled together bills now, would be fighting single-payer...but would there be any more?

[djs111]

It means that whatever limps out of the Senate, if anything does stagger out, will be an even more of a watered down, meaningless bill - and that bill will be a horrendously huge gift to private insurance.
No meaningful "public option".
No brakes on increases.
And I suspect this is all a dog and pony show, on both sides (except for a very few like Kucinich) so everyone can say hey, they tried, but still keep getting those insurance company handouts, and the votes of deluded citizens.

[Mike182]

After the brief elation I felt over the bill passing The House, I am left wondering what shabby thing we'll be stuck with when it's all done and over. The mandate has to go. It has to. It is unconstitutional. There is no benefit to the American people to make them buy health insurance if you do not have any regulation on the price they are/or will be charged for that insurance. The mandate is nothing more than Congress pandering to the insurance industry to get the lobbyists to ease up alittle.

[larry278]

Harry Reid & the rest of the 111th Congresse's Senators have to pass Universal Health Care with a strong Public Option well before 12/31/09. If Harry & the Senate's Democrats fail to do their duty at once, the Senate's Democrats will face some interesting situations.

[rosiebond007]

AND not give up whatg Congress has voted for. The Senators want their pound of flesh (earmarks) and this should be a CLEAN BILL.

NO ADDITIONAL STUFF ATTACHED.

Don't make America the butt of the world for their shocking lack of healthcare.

[krocklin]

Does this mean you don't tjink the house bill will bring about victory in the Senate?