Health Care Reform Weekly EasyToInsureME health insurance quotes

Week of January 25, 2010

The sudden halt to health care reform's
steady march forward came as a shock to many who saw an upset win by
Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts as all but
impossible. But if many took delight in the election outcome's impact
on health reform legislation, Aetna Chairman Ronald A. Williams made it
clear in a New York Times story last week that the country still needs
meaningful health care reform – reform that addresses access as well as
affordability. Everyone benefits by health reform that gets at the
factors driving soaring health care costs and the loss of coverage for
so many Americans. While Congress thinks carefully about its next
steps, Aetna will continue to support meaningful health care reform and
continue to offer responsible solutions to legislative leaders.

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Federal

The
election of Republican Scott Brown as the new senator from
Massachusetts has derailed the Congressional health care reform train,
less because Brown denies Democrats the 60th filibuster-proof vote,
though that is certainly a major result, and more because it collapsed
the Democratic political house of cards by highlighting the power of
independent voters and the frustrated anti-incumbent mood of the
electorate. Whether Democrats can regroup from this wake-up call will
consume their leadership from now until the November off-year
elections. How Democrats handle, and how Republicans respond to, health
care reform in the short term and other key priorities – such as jobs,
the economy, energy and security – over the rest of the session will
underscore all Congressional decisions from now until the first Tuesday
in November. In short, the 2010 elections started in earnest with
Brown's victory.

Once Democrats get past the shock of losing
Kennedy's seat, they will have to grapple with health care reform, one
way or the other. The early favorites, including passing the Senate
bill "as is" in the House, have been dropped for now as Democrats
recognize the political cost of ramming through something unpopular
propelled by political muscle only. Passing a smaller, less invasive
and mostly Democratic bill has only a slightly better chance, as
Republicans are not too likely to "crossover" quite yet. There is a
growing interest in using reconciliation (the 51-vote tactic) down the
road to pass a Democratic-only bill, once the House and Senate
Democratic leadership can agree to a single bill. And, there is the
outside chance that Democrats will see the Massachusetts election as an
imperative to craft a bipartisan bill with Republicans that can secure
70-plus votes in the Senate. Wednesday’s State of the Union speech,
followed by the party issues retreats later in the week, will go a long
way toward determining which path will be pursued.