March 24, 2010 05:58 AM UTC

No more delays for healthcare reform fixes

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• by: bobbyclark

(Two viewpoints: this is one, click here for the other – promoted by Colorado Pols)

It’s wrong to suggest that any one Senator, alone, has the power to meaningfully change the health reform bill as it exists right now, and attempts to do so run the risk of backfire and very serious consequences for healthcare reform.

We have consistently and strongly advocated for a public option as a vital component of health reform legislation, and we continue to believe a public option would be the most effective near-term means of bringing down the skyrocketing costs of health care. Like everyone supportive of a robust public option, we were disappointed when it was not a part of legislation passed by the Senate.

But just a few weeks ago, most observers believed that health reform legislation was completely dead. It took tremendous political will to resuscitate health reform after the determined efforts of Republicans and their insurance industry benefactors to inject irrationality and hysteria into the debate. This, added to the challenge of not having sixty votes needed for conventional passage of legislation in the Senate.

Thankfully, the House has passed, and President Obama has signed into law, the health reform package passed by the Senate last December. Though far from perfect and lacking important reforms such as optional public insurance, many key goals sought for decades by progressives are included, such as a ban on exclusion of coverage for preexisting conditions and assistance for low income Americans to obtain health coverage. Over thirty million more Americans will have access to health coverage under this bill, and millions more will benefit from the peace of mind of knowing their coverage cannot be denied them when it is needed most.

The House also has passed an accompanying package of “fixes” to the Senate bill, removing some of the more egregious giveaways to recalcitrant moderates, and making other important adjustments. It is absolutely critical that this bill pass the Senate in the process known as “reconciliation.” Although we welcome workable opportunities to pass additional reforms, the fact is that any amendment to the bill passed by the House will send these fixes back for yet another round of debate and opportunity for obstruction. We can’t risk any further delays. Failing to pass these fixes would be a travesty.

The public option for health insurance is not dead, and I believe there will be additional opportunities to pass this needed reform into law soon. In the meantime, progressives should be smart enough to appreciate the long and arduous process that got us here, and wise enough to take the next step when it’s presented.