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A friend of mine just forwarded this email to me, I thought some of you would like to read it.
AFL-CIO Health Care Reform Update – February 1, 2010
Congressional Leaders Recommit to Comprehensive Health Care Reform
After two weeks of uncertainty following the Massachusetts senate election, Congressional leaders have signaled their commitment to getting health care reform done right this year.
House and Senate leaders are working on a two bill strategy:
o A corrections bill considered and passed under reconciliation rules in the Senate, then
o House passage of the Senate legislation approved Christmas Eve.
Because a reconciliation bill cannot be filibustered in the Senate, a simple majority (51 votes)is all that will be needed, not the 60 vote supermajority that Republicans regularly force with filibuster threats. This is the best way to ensure the most egregious provisions of the Senate bill are addressed, including the excise tax.
Reconciliation bills must be carefully drafted to overcome procedural barriers and budget requirements. The legislation cannot add to the deficit and any part of the legislation not related to the budget can be challenged and struck if it is not directly related to the federal budget. To avoid these challenges, drafters must consult regularly with the Congressional Budget Office and House and Senate parliamentarians.
Because of the added complexity of reconciliation, the process is expected to take, at a minimum, five-six weeks.
In the meantime, Congressional leaders are making jobs legislation the top priority.
At the same time, the House may take up freestanding pieces of health reform that aren't addressed in the Senate bill and can't be included in a reconciliation bill. The first such bill will end the anti-trust exemption that insurance companies now enjoy.
Since fixing the Senate bill will require significant changes, e.g., scaling back or eliminating the excise tax, improving subsidies for low income workers, filling the Medicare prescription drug "donut hole" and improving the Medicaid provisions, it is not likely that all 59 Senate Democrats would support such an effort.
As at other crisis points in health reform, our job is to put grassroots pressure on Democratic Senators as possible to do the right thing -- and to use reconciliation just as George Bush did to cut taxes for the rich. No Republican Senators were squeamish about reconciliation then!
Our focus will be on getting commitments to a corrections bill from Senators Bayh, Carper, McCaskill, Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Lieberman, Landrieu, Feingold, Feinstein, and Byrd.
Our Strategy
* In both DC and home states, state federation leaders should communicate with all House and Senate members that the way to get health reform done is to get a corrections bill passed in the Senate.
* In the states of priority senators, state leadership should request meetings at home – the February 15 Presidents week recess provides a good opportunity – or come to Washington if necessary to do them.
Our Messages
* For over 70 years, the labor movement has been a leading supporter of comprehensive health care reform.
* Our unions have talked with you and worked with you for a year to get this done.
* The labor movement strongly supported the House health care bill, which was financed by asking the top one percent to contribute their fair share.
* By contrast, the bill that the Senate passed on Christmas Eve falls short of the kind of reform working people can support.
* Because of the many problems with the Senate bill, it is clear that it cannot pass the House.
* There are a number of problems with the Senate bill: it pays for reform by taxing middle class health benefits; it does not have a national exchange; it does not fill the prescription drug donut hole; it falls short on affordability; etc.
* We need senators to help fix the Senate bill so the House can pass comprehensive reform this year.
* Without the 60th vote to break a Republican filibuster, the only path to doing this is through reconciliation.
* The Senate needs to agree to a corrections bill and pass it under reconciliation rules.
* .Once the corrections bill has passed both houses, the House can pass the bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve.
* People need relief that only comprehensive federal health reform can provide.
* Working families are facing another year of big health premium increases that will threaten more jobs and family health benefits.
* If nothing is done, more and more of those with insurance, including some union members, won't be able to afford to use their coverage.
* Workers who've lost their jobs are swelling the ranks of the uninsured.
* Our family members and neighbors continue to suffer at the hands of insurance companies that deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions and cancel coverage if people file a claim.
* We dare not lose this opportunity for comprehensive health care reform.
o And people will be very angry if we do.
Tea in the Harbor
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