Healthcare Reform Update

By Dr. Mark Lutschaunig, Director of the GRD

Much has happened with healthcare reform since I last updated you in September. The Senate Finance Committee passed their version of healthcare reform, and the Senate leadership is working to combine the Finance Committee bill with the bill passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The bill then goes to the Congressional Budget Office to determine the cost of the legislation.

Once that is done, Majority Leader Harry Reid must find 60 votes just to begin debate on the bill. This does not guarantee passage of the bill as Senator Reid and the Democrats need 60 votes to invoke cloture, which would cut off debate on the bill and allow a vote to approve or defeat the measure. Senator Reid may have difficulty securing the votes, as Senate Republicans are solidly against the bill, and a number of moderate Democrats are concerned with the cost.

House Democratic Leadership have combined the legislation passed by the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor Committees. They plan to bring the bill to the full House in early November. Given the strong Democratic majority in the House, this bill should pass. However, if there is a "Public Option", the vote will be very close.

A good source of information on the healthcare debate can be found at The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation. Since this will impact every AVMA member in one way or another, I urge you to review the information and contact your Member of Congress to express support or opposition. You can find your Member's information at the AVMA-CAN Government Action Center. The GRD will be closely monitoring the legislation and will continue to work with our coalition partners to address any concerns with the legislation.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mark Lutschaunig at mlutschaunig@avma.org.