SPOTLIGHT: STALLED, BUT SIGNS OF MOVEMENT
Democratic congressional negotiators and White House senior officials
met yesterday but failed to reach a final agreement on how to move
health reform legislation forward. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.) said that using the budget reconciliation procedure to move an
overhaul bill is "a strong possibility." House Ways and Means Committee
Chair Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) indicated that lawmakers are working on a
compromise bill to be passed using reconciliation. However, according to
reports, at least 10 Senate moderates have said that they either oppose
using reconciliation or have strong hesitations about it. In addition,
lawmakers also must still determine what provisions can be changed under
expedited reconciliation rules. Despite the challenges, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has scheduled a vote for next week on a bill
that would repeal health insurers' antitrust exemption, which could
indicate the beginning of what Pelosi has said could be a series of
smaller health insurance reform bills that are not intended to
substitute for comprehensive health reform.
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