His influence could be key in Senate debateBy Lisa Wangsness
Globe Staff / September 4, 2009
SOMERVILLE - Senator John F. Kerry is reluctant to say he will take up Edward M. Kennedy’s mantle on health care - it sounds “presumptuous’’ to him - but he appears primed to take on a larger, more public role in the debate.
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“This is the moment, this is the time, and I do understand that the cause endures, and the work goes on,’’ he told the audience of more than 2,000, invoking Kennedy’s famous words. “And I pledge to you, with every bone in my body and every ounce of thinking that I can find, we are going to apply ourselves to this task and we are going to get it done.’’
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry already has plenty of work. He expects to hold hearings on the war in Afghanistan later this month - he plans to travel there soon, he said - and he is working feverishly to pass a global warming bill through the Senate before international climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
But Kerry has kept a hand in the health care discussion as well, holding monthly conference calls with Massachusetts interests and offering ideas to the “Gang of Six.’’ Earlier this summer, Kerry suggested a more politically palatable alternative to a partial tax on the most generous employee health benefits: taxing insurers on their most expensive plans. The point is to raise money to pay for the bill while also pressuring insurers to decrease premiums and discouraging businesses from offering overly generous “Cadillac’’ insurance coverage.
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Democrats could resort to Plan B - ignoring Republicans and a few moderate Democrats and enacting a health care plan under special budget rules known as “reconciliation,’’ which requires a simple majority vote but limits the content of the bill. Kerry said he “absolutely’’ considers this to be a viable alternative if necessary.
“I think it’s time for us to see what we can produce as Democrats with 60 votes,’’ Kerry said. “If you can’t, you have to turn around and see what you can do with 51 votes.’’
more On edit: reconciliation, woo hoo!
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