Last night, Chris Frates of the Politico posted on Live Pulse a post “Unconventional Wisdom” where a “former House and Senate leadership aid” communicate to Frates that it is possible that Reid’s plan could be to “insert the merged health care reform language into a revenue raising House bill already languishing in conference committee.
The Senate would pass it and send it to the House whereupon passage, it would go straight to the president’s desk – completely bypassing conference. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.” This would allow them to pass Obamacare by Thanksgiving.
The are a few House tax bills on the Senate calendar so all Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would have to do is to gut a House passed tax bill, insert the Senate version of Obamacare and send the tax shell bill containing the health care language back to the House.
For this plan to work, the House would have to take up and pass the Senate bill intact, with no Amendments. Reid’s language, therefore, would heave to be pre-conferenced to address all of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) concerns.
Think this is a crazy scenario? Frates reports that the Thanksgiving deadline has been part of leadership talking points all week long. More Frates: “but deadline or signpost, Democrats sound serious about trying to get it done by then. Vice President Biden, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, budget director Peter Orszag and, just this week, Speaker Pelosi have all said so.”
What will this bill look like? Will it have the public option? Will it have the necessary safeguards to make sure illegal immigrants don’t get free or subsidized health care? Will it force taxpayers to pay for abortions? How much will it cost? Nobody knows because this Vapor Bill does not even exist yet.
This should lead all Americans who want to participate in this process to ask – Where’s the Healthcare Bill?
