What happens to the healthcare bill now?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

A couple of questions about the healthcare bill, for the benefit of a Limey - I'm not as au fait with the American political process as I might be.

1) My understanding is that even though the bill has passed Congress and been signed into law, it still has to go through the Senate. What is this likely to entail - will the bill get changed?

2) Which and how many of the three branches of government would the Republicans have to gain control of to repeal it in the future?

[tekisui]

1. Only the Reconciliation Bill has to go to the Senate.

The Reconciliation is a bill of 'fixes' that the House passed to make the Senate version of the health bill tolerable. The Senate still has to take up the Reconciliation bill and pass it for that part to become law.

Whether it passes the Senate or not (which it will), the Health Insurance Reform bill is law. We are awaiting the first pack of fixes.


As for a repeal. They won't be able to. It is not politically viable once the law is in effect. Who is going to vote for someone on the platform of bringing back pre-existing conditions deniablity and getting people of of health insurance?

[shraby]

2. Here is how the process worked

1. The House passed a bill and sent it to the Senate

2. The Senate passed a bill and sent it to the House

3. The House wanted changes made to the bill but didn't want the Senate to have to try to get 60 votes on it again sooo
the House made the reconciliation bill to fix what they didn't like in the Senate bill but in such a way that the
Senate would only need a simple majority to pass.

4. Last night the House passed both the Senate bill then the reconciliation bill and the Senate bill is sent to the
President and the reconciliation bill is sent to the Senate to pass.

5. The President signs the Senate bill to make it law

6. The Senate passes the changes (the reconciliation bill) and if there are no further changes at all to the bill
it also goes to the President for his signature..if there is as much as one word changed, it goes back to the
House to be approved again. Once both houses have approved identical bills, the President signs.

7. Hope I have explained all this properly.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. Good grief.

Many thanks for the explanation.

My mental image of the American legislative process is now something along the lines of a "doors farce" where one twin is always leaving through the French windows just as the other comes out of the bedroom...

[shraby]

4. This was a special event. Usually

both houses work on a version of a bill and pass their version. Then both houses get their heads together and make the versions match down to the crossed "t's" then they pass the matched version and it goes to the President for signature.