Health bill’s last stop

There was much turbulence on healthcare reform, to say the least. At various times, it looked as though it would crash and burn, but now it is heading for a successful landing on President Barack Obama’s desk.

Senate Democrats will attempt to amend the bill this week through the reconciliation process. They may or may not be successful in getting all the fixes through the upper chamber, but either way, the question of the past 15 months has finally been answered: The restructuring of healthcare will become law.

{mosads}On the House floor Sunday night, Democrats were all smiles. Gone was the tension that had shadowed the faces of their leaders as they scrambled for votes. Republicans sat glumly.

Democrats chanted, “Yes, we can.” Some leaders were asked to autograph the heavy legislation they shepherded through the lower chamber. Pictures were taken amid the many hugs and sighs of relief.

Whether or not you like the bill, there is no doubting that the moment was historic.

A year from now, there will be fewer Democrats in the House than the 253 who voted on Sunday. Perhaps some of the vulnerable ones suspect that their yes vote will lead to their defeat this November in the midterm elections.

The Democrats who voted no looked a bit awkward in the House chamber moments before the vote as their colleagues cheered.

Many of those lawmakers had stood up to their president, explaining to him that they could not be with him on this one. Telling any president what he doesn’t want to hear is difficult.

So for some, voting yes was courageous. For others, voting no was also courageous.

Obama’s most important decisions on healthcare reform were (1) to continue to pursue comprehensive reform and dismiss talk of incremental changes and (2) to hold the White House summit on healthcare last month.

The summit changed the debate and allowed Democrats to hit the reset button. Reform would have failed had that not happened.

The Senate is dealing with other legislation this week as well, looking to act on a long-stalled bill to extend unemployment benefits.

The House is scheduled to vote on another jobs bill and is starting to map out its plan for a vote on a budget resolution. That vote, however, won’t happen until after the two-week Easter/Passover recess.

There are a couple of hearings this week, one tackling filibuster reform, the other on the Federal Communications Commission’s national broadband plan.

Player of the Week: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who nearly worked in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, will do everything he can to torpedo the reconciliation healthcare bill.

Gregg, the ranking member on the Budget Committee, knows the rules of reconciliation inside and out. Democrats know he will be a formidable adversary and acknowledge that Gregg and his GOP colleagues will probably be successful in taking out some provisions in the legislation.

The president did not invite Gregg to last month’s White House summit on healthcare, and neither did Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Gregg said he and McConnell talked about it, adding that he told the GOP leader he preferred not to go because he thought it would be a “kabuki dance.”

Gregg is not seeking reelection, and this will probably be his last big moment in the spotlight. He says he wants to make a bad bill better. He and others senators are expected to offer a slew of amendments, some of which will be politically popular and difficult to vote against.

Unlike on cloture proceedings, senators don’t have to file their amendments in the reconciliation process.

That means Republicans can put Democrats, particularly politically vulnerable ones, on the spot.

Democratic leaders have urged their colleagues to stick together and reject GOP amendments that would hamper instead of help the healthcare reform effort.

{mosads}Still, the votes could be fodder for campaign ads this fall.

While Senate Democrats are ecstatic that the House has passed its healthcare reform bill, they have long been wary of using the reconciliation process.

Some fear that Gregg has something up his sleeve. The senator will be one to watch this week.