With the Senate Finance Committee still trying to deliberate in a ‘bi-partisan’ fashion to create a health care reform bill, their passed deadline is moving farther away. As a result, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) met with ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Wednesday morning to discuss whether there is a bipartisan way forward on health care reform. As Reid begins “to directly manage the health care reform negotiations,” he also strongly urged Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to focus on the main objective: being able to have a bill on Obama’s desk by October.
According to Roll Call, the Majority Leader told Baucus to “stop chasing Grassley's vote on a health care bill” because he is losing critical Democratic support by sacrificing certain provisions. Consequently, Reid is also trying to tame media reports and speculation by requesting to meet with GOP Senators on the Finance Committee such as Mike Enzi (R-WY), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Yet Republican sources assert that Senator Grassley requested the meeting.
These disagreements over how to finance health care reform and whether to include a government-run insurance option have kept Baucus and Grassley working closely together since January. The Majority Leader noted that paying for health care reform by taxing health benefits is a nonstarter for most Democrats. As a result, it is still uncertain whether Reid’s new involvement in telling Baucus he will lose Democratic votes will play into the final Finance bill. According to Politico, Reid's involvement blew “a gigantic hole in efforts to find $1 trillion to pay for health reform – and set off a scramble Wednesday to come up with a replacement for the suddenly missing $320 billion over 10 years.”
Mean while, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee continues to mark up a partisan Democratic bill that lacks GOP support, but has the force of Senator Kennedy (D-MA). While the House used a three-committee system to create their version, Finance Committee delays have prevented the two Senate Committees from merging their bills together. So what is taking Baucus so long?
The jurisdiction of the Finance Committee is overwhelming. If there was one lesson we can remember from American Government its ‘power of the purse,’ and Senator Baucus is the hand the reaches into that purse. His entire career as a politician and history as a Senator will ride on the success or failure of the way he crafts his bill, and the final agreements and compromises he establishes.
Creating bi-partisan support is not only realistic but necessary in order to make sure this reform is permanent, and effective, which means better and more affordable care for Americans. Other Senators and citizens should applaud Mr. Baucus for his firmness on trying to please all the parties involved. We do not need another ‘midnight’ printed Recovery Act that is not effective.