Healthcare Reform Moves Forward

Healthcare reform took another step forward today as the Senate’s most prominent, and most centrist, bill passed the Senate Finance Committee. The bill, not yet in technical form, was sponsored by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) and is referred to as the “America’s Healthy Future Act”. The legislation was initially introduced in September, and after sifting through hundreds of amendments, the Finance Committee passed the bill by a 14-9 vote. The vote was generally partisan, with the only Republican vote coming from Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who stated that "My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," highlighting her continued concerns with the legislation.
Although the most moderate of the congressional proposals so far, aside from Snowe, there is no Republican support for these reforms. While relying on private non-profit cooperatives as opposed to the “public option”, the bill still contains individual mandates and taxes on businesses who fail to provide their workers healthcare. This makes it unpalatable to many members of Congress.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has said that this bill will be combined with suggestions from the Senate Health Committee to form the basis for what will be debated in the Senate in the upcoming weeks. The House also has 3 bills that it will use to debate the issue in that chamber. Once each house has passed their version, the details will be hammered out in conference committee, a tumultuous process that can be extremely time consuming.
While there are many more steps before any reforms become law, there is strong indication that Congress will pass a package before the end of the year. While recognizing the need for reform, the “America’s Healthy Future Act” misses the mark. This is why the Washington Farm Bureau remains opposed.