Health care reform without Sen Ted Kennedy

Sen Mike Enzi (R-Wyo) ranking member
of the Senate HELP Committee does not
support the HELP bill

The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy has added one additional hurdle to the passage of health care reform in this country.  Sen. Kennedy was the Chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.  On June 15, 2009 the Committee passed the Affordable Health Choices Act.

The bipartisan bill was finally accepted after one of the longest mark-up periods in Congressional history.  More than 160 Republican amendments were accepted by the Committee.

When the bill was finally reported out of committee, Sen. Kennedy said,

“I could not be prouder of our Committee. We have done the hard work that the American people sent us here to do.  We have considered hundreds of proposals.  Where we have been able to reach principled compromise, we have done so.  Where we have not been able to resolve our differences, we have treated those with whom we disagree with respect and patience.”

Although ailing through the long process, Kennedy was still a driving force behind the bill. What will happen now is unknown but as with any bill, it will be subject to open debate on the Floor of the Senate. The 615 pages bill is shorter than the House bill which has been the focus of much of the debate, criticism and rancor  over the last month.

Over the next few weeks we will look at some of the key provisions of the HELP bill and how it compares with the House bill.

But it probably does not bode well for the HELP bill that on August 19, 2009  the ranking member of the HELP committee,  Sen Mike Enzi  (R-Wyo) issued a  warning to the White House and the Democratic leadership of the Senate that if Republicans and moderate Democrats are shut out of the health care debate, ” their health care plan would fail.”

Sen. Enzi had issued a statement  two days earlier making it clear that a public option was not an option for him.

“As I've said from the beginning, a government-run option is not an option. I voted
against the Democrat plan in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
last month and would do so again.  A government-run plan would increase health care costs, lessen service and add to our huge debt. The American people are doing a great job of getting this message across to the Administration and Congress.”

The debate will go on but without the support and influence of Sen Edward Kennedy.