The Struggle Over Health Care

The Struggle Over Health Care http://livingstories.googlelabs.com/lsps/healthreform <div style="padding: 5px; float: right; width: 190px;"> <img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/19/us/politics/health.timeline.120.jpg" style="padding: 3px;"> <div style="text-align: center;"> A History of Health Care Reform </div> </div> Summary: The health care debate was transformed by the election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown to take over the Democratic seat once held by the late Ted Kennedy. With the loss of the Democrats' 60-seat margin, President Obama announced that he would seek a scaled-back bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also said that a smaller bill would have a better chance of passing. But the shape of any compromise measure has yet to emerge.  Mr. Brown's election came as lawmakers in both houses of Congress were seeking to reconcile two different bills. Republicans had continued to voice fierce opposition to the measures. In late December, The Senate vote, 60-39, was along straight party lines underlining the sharply partisan nature of the debate. Democrats cinched the crucial vote needed to pass the bill after negotiations with Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska led to a compromise provision affecting abortion coverage. But deep internal divisions remain over the issue that may complicate their efforts to merge the Senate and House bills and send final legislation to Mr. Obama, who has called health reform his top domestic issue. In late November, health care legislation passed a critical hurdle when the Senate cleared the way for debate over a bill. Several lawmakers, while backing an initial vote to proceed with debate, had said they might not support a final measure. Republicans are opposed to the current legislative initiatives and the debate has touched off intense lobbying by affected industries such as health insurers, hospitals and drug companies. Also, some commentators and members of the public have seen the Administration's initiative as an intrusive reach by the federal government into the relationship between a doctor and a patient.Supporters of legislation argue that action now is essential to slow the rapid rise in medical spending. Still, some commentators have wondered whether current proposals will result in better quality care.