http://washingtonindependent.com/61634/a-white-house-back-up-plan-on-health-reformA White House Back-Up Plan on Health Reform?
By Mike Lillis 9/30/09 2:51 PM
So reports Roll Call, which cites several anonymous sources claiming that the Obama administration is drafting an alternative to the congressional bills in the event those proposals die an early death. Those sources, Roll Call reports, say the effort “includes significant detail and possibly even some legislative language that could ensure the bill is ready to go the moment it is needed.”
“They are getting ready for a backup,” said one veteran observer of health care debates who was knowledgeable about the effort. “It will be parachuted in if necessary.”
They might not need it. Despite sweeping Republican opposition to the Democrats’ plans, the Senate Finance Committee is carving through the hundreds of amendments to its proposal this month, with hopes that the bill will reach the Senate floor next week. With the arrival of Sen. Paul Kirk Jr. (D-Mass.), the Democrats now have a 60 members in the upper chamber. And without a public plan, the Finance proposal just might attract all of them.