FLINT -- “Everyone in Washington is really trying to mobilize the grass roots to get something passed,” said Barbara Kornblau, Dean of U-M Flint’s School of Health and Medical Professions.
She helped lawmakers with language in the health care bills debated by Congress over the last few months. This past week, Kornblau had many phone conversations with White House staffers, following last week’s health care summit held by President Barack Obama at Blair House.
Meanwhile Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives are drafting a strategy to pass a version of the Senate’s health care bill.
“The only way that health care can change is for Congress to do something,” she said. “When you think about it, it affects every single American and every single person living in this country,” she added.
If the Senate bill passes the House, the Senate would then approve changes to the bill to please House Democrats. This would happen under a process known as reconciliation, where a simple majority vote of 51 is needed, instead of the otherwise 60 votes. This process is typically used for budget items (i.e. how to pay for the health care bill) and not the policy itself.
However, Republicans in the House want a different approach.
“The American people don’t support the bill in its current form with all of the government involvement, taxes and the cutting of Medicare,” said Republican US Rep. Dave Camp of Midland. He said the bill would alter 1/6th of the US economy and challenged President Obama’s position on the issue at last week’s summit.
“They don’t want a 2,000 page bill. They want their premiums lowered,” he said. “This is the same party that passed Medicare Part D, a 2,000 page bill,” Kornblau said, referring to the Republicans under the Bush Medicare initiative.
“In fact I think it was thicker,” she said.
Meanwhile late-word came that nine House Democrats that voted no on health care last time around, may vote yes on the Senate bill, which would cost $1 trillion over 10-years.
