The Masses in Massachusetts

Last night in a special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat, the voters elected Republican candidate Scott Brown. I know, I know, you’re like, who cares? They’re all the way across the country from me!

Oh, but you care. Believe me.

First the good news: Gone is the Democrats “supermajority”. Personally, I don’t think any party or any person should have a “supermajority”. Maybe that the balanced Libra in me, but I’m all about balance of power even within one of the branches of government.

Now the bad news: The Democrats actually needed that supermajority to bring the health care bill to a straight up and down vote on the Senate floor! I don’t care what party you’re from, you have to admit that it would be a shame for Congress to have spent so much time and effort on a health care reform bill only to have it filibustered (which I personally consider cheating) by the Republicans.

So what’s going to happen to health care now? Within hours of the election results, Democrats laid out a new approach that would still include major provisions such as 1. No longer allowing insurance companies to deny people coverage based on preexisting conditions, 2. Allowing young adults to stay on their parents insurance for a longer period, 3. Helping small businesses and low-income people pay premiums, and 4. Changing Medicare to encourage quality care rather than simply more care.

Clearly, as the president said in an interview with ABC, “We know that we have to have some form of cost containment because if we don't then our budgets are going to blow up.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul;_ylt=AlJcU4LrjA7SQ1dkWs3gYLKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNuaWM5dWQ4BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTIwL3VzX2hlYWx0aF9jYXJlX292ZXJoYXVsBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMwRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDZnVsbG5ic3BzdG9y)

Just in Fiscal Year 2010, the Federal Government will spend more on Health Care than any other individual line item including education and defense. And, more importantly, health care costs are expected to increase by $0.1 Trillion every year for the next four years. http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/breakdown?year=2010

Granted, I don’t have the answers, but I can see that there’s a problem and I really hope that the Senate can find it within themselves (I’m not sure if their hearts have turned to stone yet) to actually come to a compromise and pass some sort of health care plan that will contain costs. Good luck!