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  • The House Health-Care Vote and the Constitution | The Wall Street Journal | March 15, 2010

    Stanford law professor and former U.S. Court of Appeals judge Michael W. McConnell writes in the Wall Street Journal about the proposed “Slaughter rule” approach to passing a health care bill: “Democratic leaders have not announced whether they will pursue the Slaughter solution. But the very purpose of it is to enable members of the House to vote for something without appearing to do so. The Constitution was drafted to prevent that.”

  • CBO offers new estimate for Senate healthcare bill: $875 billion over 10 years | The Hill | March 11, 2010

    The Hill reports that the Congressional Budget Office released a new estimate of the cost of the Senate health care bill, raising the cost by $4 billion to $875 billion over 10 years.

  • Public wants elusive accord on health | The Associated Press | March 11, 2010

    A recent Associated Press-GfK survey found only 43 percent of Americans saying the President and Congress should continue working on health care legislation this year. As AP reporter Charles Babington observes, “Americans and their lawmakers are dramatically out of sync on health care.”

  • The Health Care Jam | Real Clear Politics | March 9, 2010

    Pollster and strategist Mark Penn says that reconciliation is not an effective measure for passing health care reform. He adds, “A lot has happened in the year since health care reform was introduced. Trying to pass it through reconciliation may work to generate a temporary victory, but it seems to dismiss the economic and political events of this year.”

  • That Other Government Takeover | The Wall Street Journal | March 9, 2010

    A Wall Street Journal editorial notes that some members of Congress are trying not only to use the reconciliation process for the health care bill but also are seeking to add on education-related measures to this legislation in order to pass programs that could never win 60 votes. The editorial cites this strategy as another example of how some in Congress want to “use whatever tactics are necessary to advance their agenda to concentrate power in Washington—while they still can.”

  • Maybe no health care bill vote by Easter | The Associated Press | March 5, 2010

    The Associated Press reports that House Democratic leaders are aiming for the final vote on health care reform to occur by the Easter recess. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the Democrats would like to get a final vote by Congress' Easter break, which begins March 29. But he also said "the world doesn't fall apart" if that timeline isn't met — a nod to the many missed deadlines that have characterized the health overhaul effort so far.

  • 55% Say Congress Should Start Over On Health Care | Rasmussen Poll | March 5, 2010

    According to a recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 55 percent of the country’s voters believe that Congress should start over on health care reform.

  • The Road Ahead (It’s Bumpy) | The New York Times | March 3, 2010

    In a New York Times blog, journalist David Herszenhorn tracks what could be a bumpy road ahead for health care legislation – with obstacles and delays including concern over budget deficits, abortion, finalizing an agreed-upon bill, reconciliation, endless amendments and a desire to address other issues such as the economy.

  • Bayh: Reconciliation to Take Senate Into ‘Uncharted Waters’ | The Wall Street Journal | March 3, 2010

    Wall Street Journal writer Janet Adamy blogs about Senator Evan Bayh’s comments that the proposed Senate tactic of reconciliation to pass health care legislation would lead the Senate into “uncharted waters.” While reconciliation would avoid a filibuster, opponents of the bill could still seek to offer an unlimited number of amendments.

  • A Historic and Dangerous Senate Mistake | The Wall Street Journal | March 1, 2010

    Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist writes that using budget reconciliation to pass health care legislation “would be an unprecedented, dangerous and historic mistake.” The process of reconciliation is intended to make small changes to the budget rather than to enact broad new social programs.