First Edition: November 9, 2009

Nov 9 2009

Two mornings after, the headlines are still focused on the landmark House passage of the Democratic-backed health overhaul bill and what might happen next... in the Senate.

Democrats Confront Challenges After House Reform Vote Kaiser Health News staff writers Eric Pianin and Mary Agnes Carey report on what lies ahead on the current health reform landscape. "Now comes the really hard part. After a brief celebration of House passage of landmark health legislation, House and Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama face weeks, if not months, of difficult negotiations in constructing a final package that will win congressional approval" (11/8).

House Vote: Reviews Are In Health policy experts hold different views on Saturday's House overhaul vote. Kaiser Health News collected some of their responses (11/8).

The Debate Over Selling Insurance Across State Lines Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports on this element of GOP-backed health reforms. "A core feature of the health overhaul proposal unveiled by House Republicans - and of GOP plans for years - would allow individual health insurance policies to be sold across state lines. Currently, consumers can buy policies only from insurers licensed by the states where they live" (11/8).

House Hands Health Care Challenge Off To Senate Democrats have little time to savor the narrow passage of their historic heath care overhaul in the House of Representatives as attention turns to the deeply divided U.S. Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid's challenge is to corral enough votes to bring a companion bill to the floor of his chamber before a White House-imposed Christmas deadline (NPR, 11/8).

The Medical Industry Grumbles, But It Stands To Gain For any industry, there has to be at least some good news any time Congress votes to expand the market by tens of millions of customers. But the business world found plenty to complain about Sunday, as it assessed the House bill that would make sweeping changes in the health care system and extend insurance coverage to millions more Americans (The New York Times, 11/8).

Obama Presses Senate To Act Quickly On Its Health Bill The White House, growing concerned that the Congressional timetable for passing a health care overhaul could slip into next year, is stepping up pressure on the Senate for quick action, with President Obama appearing Sunday in the Rose Garden to call on senators to "take up the baton and bring this effort to the finish line" (The New York Times).

Louisiana Republican Breaks Ranks On Health Bill House Democrats were thrilled by the passage of their major health care legislation on Saturday, but were particularly tickled by denying Republicans a solid wall of opposition with the solitary vote of Representative Anh Cao of Louisiana (The New York Times).

For Opponents Of Abortion, A Victory In Health Care Vote restriction on abortion coverage, added late Saturday to the health care bill passed by the House, has energized abortion opponents with their biggest victory in years — emboldening them for a pitched battle in the Senate (The New York Times).

For Healthcare Bill, Pelosi Had To Leave Left Coast Behind In the final hours before the House approved the most sweeping healthcare legislation in 40 years, Speaker Nancy Pelosi demonstrated that she had the one indispensable quality required to produce a Democratic victory: a split personality (Los Angeles Times).

Healthcare Bill's Tough Sell In The House Signals Tougher Fight Ahead With the struggle over healthcare entering an even tougher phase, President Obama has hit both a milestone and a speed bump in his dual pursuit of a major overhaul of the nation's medical system and a rebirth of progressivism in America (Los Angeles Times).

Abortion An Obstacle To Health-Care Bill President Obama and Senate Democrats sought on Sunday to generate momentum from the House's passage of health-care legislation, even as a new hurdle emerged: profound dismay among abortion-rights supporters over antiabortion provisions inserted into the House bill (The Washington Post).

Obama Marks Win, But Challenges Mount President Obama retreated briefly to the serenity of Camp David this weekend, leaving behind seven days that showcased both the promise and the limits of his presidency (The Washington Post).

Compromise Won Over Democratic Holdouts Reps. Baron P. Hill (Ind.), elected with the class of 2006 that gave Democrats the House majority, and Dan Maffei (N.Y.), who rode to office with President Obama on a Democratic wave last year, were among the last lawmakers to make up their minds on Saturday's historic health-care vote (The Washington Post).

Health Bill Faces Senate Heat President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul faces an uncertain battle in the Senate after a narrow weekend victory in the House revealed the continuing divide among Democrats (The Wall Street Journal).

In Final Hours, An Intense Push For 'Yes' Votes For Rep. Dennis Cardoza, it was an assurance from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the drought afflicting California's Central Valley would get high-level attention. For Rep. Michael Michaud, a liberal from Maine, it was personal coaxing from President Barack Obama Saturday morning. For Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, the lone Republican vote, it was multiple conversations with Obama administration officials, topped with new promises of support for his Katrina-ravaged New Orleans (The Wall Street Journal).

Obama: 'Now It Falls On The Senate To 'Take The Baton' And Pass Reform The day after the House passed its version of a health care overhaul, President Barack Obama said he was "absolutely confident" that the Senate will do the same and that they will meet at the White House to sign it into law (The Hill).

Republicans Take Aim At Vulnerable Democrats In Health War Within minutes of Saturday's historic House vote on health care reform, Republicans pronounced the political death of Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.), pointing to the vulnerable freshman congressman's vote in favor of the bill. And in the aftermath of the politically charged vote, Perriello wasn't the only Democratic congressman whose fortunes were being reassessed. The GOP, which voted nearly in lock step against the measure, began crowing about the demise of various other vulnerable members and seized on the moment as a milestone in the path back to a House majority (Politico).

Tears, Tempers Fly In Nancy Pelosi's Campaign One by one, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had leaned on her rank-and-file Democrats for months to cast off personal prerogatives for the sake of a history-making health care bill. But for Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, this was too much to ask. So when Pelosi announced late Friday that she would allow an amendment strictly limiting insurance coverage of abortions, it touched off an angry yelling match between DeLauro and another Pelosi confidant, California Rep. George Miller, and tears from some veteran female lawmakers, according to people in the room (Politico).

All Eyes On Sen. Harry Reid As health reform shifts back to the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid is facing dissent from fellow Democrats worried that he has no final bill, no Democratic consensus on the way ahead and no guarantee he'll finish by year's end (Politico).

US House Of Representatives Votes To Approve Healthcare Reform After a vote that went down to the wire, House Democrats cheered a vast overhaul of the US healthcare system early Sunday morning. In a phone call to House leaders, President Obama called it "a great victory for the American people" (The Christian Science Monitor).

In Senate, Health Bill Has Major Hurdles The battle over health care shifted back to the Senate as President Obama prodded lawmakers on Sunday to push ahead one day after the House narrowly approved the most sweeping bill of its kind in four decades (USA Today).

Lieberman's Threat Of Filibuster Looms Large When a recent conversation among Senate centrists turned to insurance company antitrust concerns, Joe Lieberman boasted of his bona fides: As Connecticut attorney general in the 1980s, he sued the industry (The Boston Globe).

Kaiser Health News also tracked developments over the weekend, with summaries on Saturday's house vote, abortion compromise, key abortion vote and the President's visit to Capitol Hill as well as Sunday's coverage of the landmark vote and the Sunday talk shows.

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