Health Care Reform Could Skip Final Step, Roll Right Through House

[Are_grits_groceries]

The health care reform bill that passes the Senate might be the one that ends up on President Obama's desk, bypassing the usual House-Senate conference committee and avoiding another 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster.

There is increased chatter on Capitol Hill about a possible "ping-ponging" of the Senate health care bill: that chamber would pass its health care bill, send it to the House and the House would be asked to pass it with no changes and send it directly to the president.

That limits the options of congressional critics -- under the usual procedure, lawmakers dissatisfied with the bill pushed through their chamber can win changes through adroit political maneuvering in conference committee negotiations.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is currently negotiating what's known as a "manager's amendment." That amendment includes large and small concerns that senators want worked out before voting to end a filibuster. If Democrats decide to ping-pong the bill, the manager's amendment becomes, in effect, the only place to work out differences.
<snip>
The plan risks infuriating the party's progressive base, which is much happier with the House bill than the Senate effort.

"As it stands, the House bill makes health care much more affordable for people than the Senate's bill. And right now, there is a real possibility that the House will be expected to swallow the Senate's bill without making these improvements.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/07/health-care-reform-could_n_383027.html

And another path... I'll bet there are still a lot of ways and tricks we don't know about.

[Bolo Boffin]

1. Tear it down.

That's my thought, although I haven't seen the final version of the Senate bill yet. No one has. Maybe it would be good enough, but if they'd pull shenanigans like that, I doubt it.

Of course this could also be rumormongering to shake up the support the bill might otherwise get. Who knows?

[midnight]

2. Why skip a step.... Do it right....

[DJ13]

3. Why skip a step...

.......to pass a bill they know the progressive caucus in the House would fight because it wont be in the best interest of the people.

Thats my take on this kind of maneuver.