Forget the Senate, House Hurdles Threaten to Sink Health Reform

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

There's been endless talk about counting votes and using reconciliation to pass healthcare in the Senate. But with the realization that the Democrats probably don't have a majority of votes for the plan in either chamber of Congress right now, attention is shifting to the House.

House members feel a little bit like Charlie Brown with the football expecting the Senate/Lucy to pull it away just as they are ready to kick it. That's why there is some complicated back room choreography going on about who goes first.

But according to Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from Pennsylvania's 4th District, the order doesn't matter. What matters is what's in the bill.

Altmire voted against the House plan in November, and he says he hasn't seen or heard anything since to convince him to change his mind.

"I don't think that anything has changed. We're hearing the same talking points we've been hearing for a year. I don't think the debate has moved one way or the other," Altmire says.

In order to pass health reform, House leaders not only have to persuade someone like Altmire who voted no to switch his vote, but also hold on to all of the yes votes they had the first time.

A number of his colleagues who supported the House version of health reform "deeply regret their vote" because of what they are hearing from their constituents back home, Altmire says. "I know some who would love the opportunity to make up for it" by changing their vote the second time around.

"At least a handful of them would relish the opportunity to have a do-over," predicts Altmire.

On top of that, add the abortion funding issue which is forcing Democrats to thread the needle in an attempt to keep everyone happy on both sides of that debate and could cost them some votes.

"In that dynamic where you are almost certainly going to lose some yeses, I don't see where you are going to make up the difference," says Altmire. He said he doesn't know anyone who voted no in November who would change their vote unless the legislation was substantially changed.

What it would take to win his vote is addressing spiraling healthcare costs, which he says the Democrats seem to have lost sight of.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/linda-killian/...lth-reform.html

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I've been contacting my Reps about this bitter pill.