Why haven't the House and Senate health care insurance Bills gone to Conference?

[ThomWV]

The house has passed a bill. The Senate has passed a bill. The two bills are not the same. Why haven't the bills gone to Conference? Why is all this debate going on when in fact the process has not yet come up with a subject for this very same debate?

No one argues that House Bill is the final version, why on earth would anyone think that the Senate Bill has to be the final version? Why has the process stopped?

[tabatha]

1. How do you know it has stopped.

I have heard more than one commentator say that the conference gave the Dems time to get ready for passage of the bill.

[ThomWV]

2. What Conference?

There are a few things you normally see, like the appointment of Conferees, instructions to the Conferees, things like that. Where is it?

[tabatha]

6. Sorry, meant yesterday's summit.

[Vinca]

3. If they change the Senate bill, which got 60 votes, it will have to be

voted on again in the Senate and is unlikely to get 60 votes. They can pass the Senate bill by a majority in the House if they bypass the conference and don't change it, then it can go directly to the POTUS. I have no idea if the idea is to add other things via reconciliation or craft an entirely new bill to put through.

[ThomWV]

4. So you suppose that yesterday's exercise couldn't get whatever might come out past the 60 votes?

That not one Republican mind was swayed. That no pressure might be brought.

I suspect you are right if you say that is the case - but it just seems like such a shame. Because if it is right then there is no excuse for delay. Reconciliation should be the only word on tonight's news.

[Vinca]

7. They will probably get 0 Republican votes.

There's really no need to delay anything. Yesterday was theater.

[samrock]

5. Because it is become quite clear..

that with the new senator Brown from Mass now seated there is no hope of the a combined bill passing a cloture vote in the senate.. the only hope is that the house pass the senate bill as it was passed before Brown was seated and a seperate bill to modify the senate bill is passed by the house and then goes to the senate where it will not need to pass a cloture vote, but only need 50+ to pass.. The big problem is the seante bill does not seem to be able to get 218+ votes in the house to pass.. UNLESS President Obama can twist some arms in the house we may never even see a vote in the house.. HCR may just die a wimpering death...