Obama Asks Congress to Pass Administration Health Care Bill in Coming Weeks
March 8, 2010 - President Obama asked Congress on March 3 to send health care reform legislation to his desk for signature prior to the spring recess, which is scheduled to start the week of March 28. To help expedite action by Congress, the administration has completed its version of health care reform legislation and is looking to use the reconciliation process to get it through Congress with a simple majority. The reconciliation process will avoid the need to obtain 60 votes in the Senate to invoke cloture and move the bill to a final vote.
Following last month's health care summit, Obama has shown a willingness to include some GOP suggestions, including the availability of health savings accounts in health insurance exchanges. However, the administration has announced that any further efforts to reach out to the minority as being unlikely to be fruitful and its version of health care primarily resembles the health care reform bill that passed the Senate.
Republicans have immediately attacked Obama's legislation as lacking any of their substantive policy recommendations, and that it would raise taxes and reduce Medicare benefits. Further, some provisions in the administration's bill are likely to be troublesome for many Democrats, including permitting federal funding for abortion and providing coverage to non-citizens.