What happens to the health care reform effort post-Brown?

There are many, many possibilities, but one of the easiest would be for the House of Representatives to just pass the Senate bill as is, send it to Obama’s desk for his signature, and finally be done with this whole politically messy, operationally imperfect, but suicidal-to-abandon project.

For her part, Washington Senator Patty Murray is telling TPM that’s the only route she sees right now:

Asked whether the fate of reform rested with the House, Democratic Conference Secretary Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), said, “I think so.”

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

8 replies on “Patty Murray: Health Care is the House’s Problem Now”

  1. jesus. they still have an 18 vote majority. I would like to see the Senate Republicans actually, like really old timey Mr Smith style, filibuster this and see how well public sentiment treats them.

  3. Pardon me, but the “suicidal” thing will be to pass the Senate version. If they do that you can kiss the Dems majority goodbye for another generation. If Eli can’t see that, the Stranger needs a new political beat writer pronto.

  6. What health care reform are you talking about, Sanders? THERE IS NO HEALTH CARE REFORM ON OFFER. It’s nothing more than corporate welfare for health insurance companies. Pull your fucking head out of Patty Murray’s grungy snatch and get real before you support for this horrible bill kills people.

  7. @5 ftw.

    Health care already passed the House and Senate – you don’t need anything special to force it thru and replace it in conference w/o any America-hating Republic Party of No comrades.

  8. 90% of Americans have health care. It’s those 90% who make up much of the electorate. And an overwhelming number of those 90% don’t care about those 10% who don’t have health care insurance. I agree with Sen. Murray and Ezra Klein: House–pass the Senate bill now! And move on to other topics like job creation to ensure your re-election in Nov.! Do I think the House will pass the Senate bill? No. In part, thanks to my fellow members of the looney Left. “The Senate bill is too pro-insurance industry, blah, blah, blah.” So, no health care reform for the next 30 years. No one will touch the issue anytime soon.

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