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Final Push For Passing Health Care Reform This Week
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 15, 2010
Modified Mar 15, 2010
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Photo: AP
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 15, 2010
Modified Mar 15, 2010
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The White House says that health care legislation will pass, but it's unclear if the votes are there. The Washington Post reports, "The rosy predictions of success, combined with the difficult realities of mustering votes, underscore the gamble that the White House and congressional Democrats are poised to make in an attempt to push Obama's health-care plans across the finish line."
This has also meant a war of the words, as White House senior adviser David Axelrod said of opposition, "Let's have that fight, make my day, I'm ready to have that." Cue House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) who said that Republicans will do "everything we can to make it difficult for them, if not impossible, to pass the bill." Bush administration adviser Karl Rove said that if the Democrats do pass health care, "I think they lose the House of Representatives this fall."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) needs to round up 216 votes; there are 253 Democrats, 178 Republicans and four vacancies. The Wall Street Journal says, "The House approved its version of the health bill in November with three votes to spare, and that margin has more than evaporated as a handful of lawmakers who voted 'yes' then have switched to 'no' or no longer hold their seats. The president will talk to members of Congress one-on-one in meetings and over the phone this week, according to a White House official."
President Obama is appearing in Ohio today—with a woman wrote him about the need for health reform after needing to drop her insurance after Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield raised her premium from $500 to $700 a month. However, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) told the NY Times, "Barack Obama is my president; I want him to succeed. But I think it’s important to have real health care reform. I wish I could vote for it, but I don’t think I can."
Politico breaks down the pitfalls to passing health care, which include abortion, the parliamentarian, and House-Senate distrust.
Tagged
Democrats
gop
health care
health care legislation
nancy pelosi
president obama
republicans
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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