What happens if the senate bill gets killed?

[SlipperySlope]

I don't know what the process is.

If the senate kills their bill, what then?

[MNDemNY]

1. We start again.

[yodoobo]

25. yes, in about 2 decades.

1 decade if we are lucky.

Historically, we've only had one shot per generation to remake healthcare.

This isn't the first, or even second attempt.

[MNDemNY]

31. This "attempt" has already failed, time to cut it loose.

[Warpy]

2. Either Reid grows a backbone and it gets sent to reconciliation

or they wimp out completely and we get nothing. Again.

If the latter happens, many of them can expect to lose their jobs.

Obama can kiss his Democratic Congress goodbye for however long he's in office and beyond.

[el_bryanto]

20. Yep. You can see why so many want this bill to fail. It'll be great.

I mean who needs healthcare anyway.

Bryant

[debbierlus]

24. This isn't about health care, it is about mandating private health insurance

And, putting the lives of American citizens at the mercy of the entities that brought the healthcare system to its knees.

[secondwind]

3. I'd rather they push this one through.....it would give the other side

momentum, and there would probably be more town hall meetings, and the public (already tired of this crap)......will stand up and say WE DON'T WANT IT!!

That would be a disaster, and O will be a one-term President (if he isn't already down that path. But a year is an eternity in politics, let alone three).

Am keeping my fingers crossed.

[JVS]

4. 500K troops get sent to the hospitals and terminate the medical system with extreme prejudice

Ok, that was a joke.

What will happen is that things will continue as they are, and you'll see a lot of republicans on tv gloating. On the other hand, we'll have been spared some pretty bad legislation that would have benefitted insurance companies greatly at the expense of the public.

[napi21]

5. The Dems get a big NOTHING! This will not be started over

again next year. Be honest with yourself.

[DCBob]

6. weeping and gnashing of teeth...

then off to Christmas recess!

[FBaggins]

7. The president gets to move from trying to convince Lieberman

to vote down a filibuster... and on to trying to convince Lieberman and 5-7 Republicans to do it as well.

[WI_DEM]

8. Nothing. Next year is all about Jobs and in '11 we will have fewer dems

and if we can't pass a bill with 60 votes in the Senate we sure aren't with fewer. So that's that.

[Skinner]

9. Here's the thing:

If the Senate kills the bill, it is possible that nothing happens. They aren't required to do anything if they don't want to. So, I think the options are:

1. Start from scratch and try to come up with a different bill that can pass the Senate with 60 votes during this legislative session. (Highly unlikely.)

2. Try to do it through reconciliation, which only requires 51 votes. (Which could happen if Senate rules allow it.)

3. Wait another 17 years or more until another president comes along with the guts and the will to try to fix this mess. (Highly possible.)

[NJmaverick]

12. Skinner many of the news articles I am reading are indicating that

reconciliation is a possibility if the Senate leadership decides to pursue it.

[WI_DEM]

14. We don't know for sure if they are going to pursue it or not, yet.

[SlipperySlope]

18. Reconciliation?

Reconciliation - that is the one I don't know enough about.

I *thought* that was the process for when the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill and then they needed to reconcile the differences. But I was wrong about that.

Then I saw it was used for passing certain budget acts. I don't understand how it is used for a Health bill.

Any good posts on DU that explain?


Edit: Ok, so I'm a dunce. I should just look for posts containing "reconciliation" on the Greatest page.

[era veteran]

27. Republicans use reconciliation to lower taxes

That is about as much to do with budgets as health care. One money in (these cases less money), other money out ( just not to insurance companies).

[Skinner]

30. You are thinking of Conference Committee. (nt)

[cliffordu]

19. 17 years??/ My wife and I will prolly be long gone by then.......dirtnap, pusing daisies....

[existentialist]

21. 17 years

I don't think that this can wait 4 years, much less 17. Things are getting worse and worse.

Also, although the Democrats deserve some heat on this, I think the Republican positions have been nothing but reprehensible.

If we can publicize what and why the Republicans (including Lieberman) have done to stop this then I don't think that it's a given that that there will be fewer Democrats in 2011.

[jschurchin]

10. Then we say, oh well

another 1,500 people die while the dickheads in D.C. piddle. Single Payer baby, then again, what the people want really makes no fucking difference.

[NJmaverick]

11. We don't see healthcare reform for generations, everyone's costs go up

and even more people lose their health care insurance, which eventually leads to more people dying.

[leftstreet]

13. It'd be nice if a War funding bill failed and it took 20 yrs to get another one

oh wait...war funding never fails

[Yellow Horse]

15. I'll have a real good chance of ending up dead, w/no healthcare for the foreseeable future.

Anybody on here care ???

[existentialist]

22. Whether we care or not

Many of us including my wife and myself are in similar circumstances.

There are so many people in similar circumstances that this will remain a big issue, and its only going to get bigger because the numbers in similar circumstances keep increasing.

[billyoc]

16. You escape the massive fines for not buying health insurance.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

[jtuck004]

17. Can focus on the economy

[yodoobo]

23. Then we try for healthcare again in 2025

Because it will be dead till then. Just like last time.

[Unvanguard]

26. Lots of people die and go bankrupt; purists on the left and obstructionists on the right are happy.

That, pretty much.

[tranche]

28. Fat washed up boomer activists smile

and go off to collect their medicare....

[Libertas1776]

29. It plays the corpse in an episode

of Law and Order: SVU.