Obama Needs Healthcare Vote Now

Obama Gives in to Republicans to Save His Healthcare Reform

The North American president, Barack Obama, asked Congress for an up or down vote on the health care reforms, which have been debated over the last twelve months. From the White House’s East Room, the U.S. leader presented a new version of the bill that includes modifications with Republican Party proposals.

With this decision, Obama is preparing his strategy against conservatives who several times accused him of imposing his will without listening to the people or looking for consensus. The president has always declared to want health care reform born from a discussion between his party colleagues, Republicans and the citizens. But he also stated he wasn’t willing to go on with discussions for another year.

Among the conservative proposals included in the document are: funds for state grants on medical malpractice reform, and curbing waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.

After a year of negotiations, yesterday Obama urged Congress to “finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.” He also made clear he wanted to schedule a vote “in the next few weeks.” He pointed that this last version “incorporates the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans…At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem,” clearly referring to the massive Republican opposition to almost every Democrat proposal presented in the Congress. “The American people want to know if it’s still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future. They are waiting for us to act…I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it’s right,” he emphasized, after seeing both his own popularity and his reform’s drastically dropping in the polls. Moreover, he has led the way to get his project passed with the “budget reconciliation” maneuver. With this extraordinary method, only a simple majority is needed in the Senate and, that way, the block is avoided.

ANALYSIS

A year of struggling for health care reform.

Why has Obama included the Republican ideas?

– The president is trying to avoid being accused of not having looked for consensus with the conservatives.

Why hasn’t he signed it into law yet?

–It was passed in both Houses, but Democrats do not have a supermajority in the Senate anymore. Both versions of the reform are different, so they must be reconciled and voted on again in Congress before the president can sign it into law.

Why does Obama want to get the bill passed right now?

–After a year in which the reform has been one of the most important pillars of his national politics, Obama is seeking to avoid a possible failure, which could give a boost to Republicans in the mid-term election next November, where forecasts are pointing to a probable loss of Democratic seats in the Senate.

Why has it taken so long?

–None of the Democrats wants to be affected by this in the election. Republicans have overwhelmingly opposed to the reforms.