Chances of Reconciliation to Pass Health Reform Looks Slim

Chances of Reconciliation to Pass Health Reform Looks Slim in Politics and Legislation

If you thought Senator Olympia Snowe’s vote for the health insurance and health care reform bill from Senator Max Baucus was a big deal, you’d be right.

Not only did her committee vote set the bill up for final approval in the full Senate, but it now gives reformers (including the White House) a major chance of passing the bill without resorting to reconciliation.

Now, reconciliation is a procedural loophole that allows the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes. Only if a bill is tied to the federal budget can reconciliation happen.

So obviously, health reform qualifies.

Democrats have long held reconciliation as their ultimate trump card in case they couldn’t hold on to their conservative party-mates and if Republicans threatened a filibuster. But now with Senator Snowe’s likely vote, the chance of reconciliation is much, much lower.

The White House wants nothing more than to call the health bill bipartisan even if it’s only one Republican who signs on. Really, it’s kind of like putting lipstick on a… well you get the picture.

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