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Health Care Bill Does Not Depend on Coakely Race

By Jeralyn

Ezra Klein:

I'm fairly optimistic that health-care reform will pass, even if Martha Coakley loses to Scott Brown in Massachusetts. It certainly can pass, as the House could simply approve the Senate bill unchanged and then make modifications through the reconciliation process.

This news article in the Wall St. Journal makes the same points. Jonathan Chait at TNR has three options for the health care bill if Coakley loses.

Jake Tapper and Jonathan Karl at ABC agree. Either the House passes the Senate version so this election won't matter, or they use reconciliation.

The sky is not falling, despite the suggestion to the contrary by the influential Dems runnng to MA this weekend to stump for Coakely. [More...] One thing: Tapper and Karl write:

One option no one seems to be seriously discussing is delaying Brown being seated, though Republicans have already dispatched legal teams to Massachusetts in anticipation of any possible recount or other legal challenge that could delay Brown’s certification -- if, of course, he wins.

I think it has been discussed, as I mentioned in comments here and here.

Update: Jon Walker at FDL: Reconciliation is, and has been, an option for months.

And yes, both the Senate and House bills are bad. But, they are 90% the same and neither has a public option, neither has what we wanted, so why it is such a calamity if the Senate version passes instead of the House version?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 16, 2010 (boomark / email).