(Thumbnail image from ABC News)
Now that the Senate Finance Committee has passed its highly anticipated health care reform bill, the real work returns behind close doors in negotiating a compromise. But with five different versions between the House and Senate—the question remains—what happens next?
To save you from looking up School House Rock’s "I'm Just a Bill" video, we’re taking a look at what’s next for health care overhaul with perspectives from FOX News, MSNBC, The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post.
FOX News breaks down the overhaul process, emphasizing what they call a closed-door policy that the network believes leaves out Republicans.
“The Senate Finance Committee bill will be merged with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill, which includes a government-run health insurance option. That combined bill will then be voted on by the full Senate. Meantime, on the House side, three different House committees’ health care reform bills will be combined into one and then voted on by the full House. The House bill and the Senate bill will then head to what’s called the conference committee where a select group of lawmakers from the House and the Senate will negotiate and combine the two different bills. Again, all behind closed doors. The resulting bill from that conference committee must pass the full Senate first, and then pass the full House, before it is transported to the White House for the President’s signature, at which point it becomes law. The bottom line, it has a long way to go.”
So who’s actually behind the closed doors of these meetings?
The Chicago Tribune reports the main Senate negotiators are Chris Dodd pushing for a public option, Max Baucus pushing against a public plan, and Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid playing referee.
While the Senate team is working to craft a final Senate bill, the president is also at work.
“Obama himself will play an important role, phoning wavering legislators and coaxing them to vote yes. But success also hinges on the negotiating savvy of the team he put in place for this express purpose.”
The Washington Post points out President Obama promised a public roundtable process during his campaign, but may now be using the backroom deals of Washington he once rebuked.
“...Negotiations are occurring in a setting that is anything but revolutionary in Washington: Three senators are working on the bill behind closed doors.”
Once the Senate bill is ready for the floor, all 100 Senators will be able to offer amendments and cast their votes.
In the end, MSNBC reports the final version will likely pull nearly all Democratic votes, but not many Republicans.
“One notable exception, that’s Olympia Snowe. The only suspense being now whether Snowe will brings over Susan Collins, the other Republican from Maine and perhaps a handful of other Republicans on the Senate side. But we do expect it move forward, this bill inching along in Congress perhaps on the Senate floor and out of the Senate floor and into the House by the Thanksgiving break.”
So what do you think? Are lawmakers getting close to a final bill or are there more hold-ups on the horizon? And should we know more about what’s happening in secret meetings about the future of health care?
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