Health Reform Update - House Begins Final Push to Enact Reform Legislation
Congress has started the procedural work necessary to bring a final health reform bill to the House floor as early as the end of this week. Today the House Budget Committee voted 21-16 to send health reform “reconciliation” legislation to the House Rules Committee. Note that the legislation approved by the Budget Committee is not the actual final, compromise health reform bill that has been in the works since the President’s recent health reform summit. Instead, the Budget Committee bill is a placeholder for the real health reform bill that will be crafted by the House Rules Committee later this week, and which will represent the compromise agreement between the White House and Democratic Congressional leaders. House leaders hope to bring a final bill to the floor by the weekend. While the strategy for reaching the finish line on health reform is still being worked out, it is expected to involve the House approving the health reform bill passed by the Senate in December, bundled with a package of "reconciliation" amendments that still would need approval by the Senate. We will continue to provide updates on health reform efforts.
