Let the Debate Begin!

The long awaited debate on Health Care Reform began today among a divided House and Senate. After procedural successes to get us this far, the future of reform is still in peril.  Yet, it is closer than it has ever been.  But what is really at the center of the debate?  If you look closely, you’ll find that few health care issues are the core of the disagreement.  What will drive these discussions are social issues – abortion rights and the public option plan being the most prominent.

Many Democrats are siding with the current plans, adding their own local agendas to the bill.  Only one Republican voted to debate, but his vote and that of many Democratic Senators are far from certain on approving sweeping changes. On the House side, Representative Joseph Cao, cast the lone Republican vote for a health care reform bill in return for some concessions, including Medicaid funding, loan forgiveness and issues related to two of his local hospitals in his state. Other side deals such as state-by-state carve-outs are getting more politicians on board.

But not everyone agrees on the health care bills despite concessions. Senator Joseph Lieberman vowed to oppose any health care legislation that includes a public option plan or any other government-run health insurance plan. To quote Senator Lieberman, “I’m going to be stubborn about this.” He will go so far as to support any filibuster of a bill that calls for a large government role in administering new health care benefits.

Senator Reid has downplayed the Senator’s opposition, recently going as far as to say that Lieberman is the least of his worries. Reid is still looking to equalize the numbers and opinions of senators that will vote for a plan with a public option and those who won't vote for a bill with a public option.

Democrats insist they are compromising on the public option but like Senator Lieberman, many moderate senators are opposed to the public option with a state opt-out while liberal Democrats want to see those terms remain in the bill. Meanwhile, Republican leadership claims that the measure will cost $2.5 trillion when fully implemented. It remains to be seen how language in the bills continue to change in the coming weeks and whether the bills move forward.