Last week in a speech to the Senate Democratic Caucus luncheon, former President Bill Clinton told his party colleagues not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. “This is an economic issue,” Clinton said of health care reform. “The second thing is that on the policy there is no perfect bill because there’s always going to be consequences. So there will be amendments to this effort, whatever they pass. … It’s not important to be perfect, but it’s important to move, to get the ball rolling.”
Echoing Clinton’s sentiments, Obama administration aides are pushing hard for Senate passage of a health care reform measure by Christmas, with a conference report early next year.
Meanwhile, opponents of health care reform are already testing their arguments in court, and expect to begin litigation over health care reform mandates as soon as the legislation is signed into law. The Fund for Personal Liberty already filed a lawsuit challenging mandatory Medicare enrollment, as a test of the argument against requirements in health reform legislation forcing individuals to buy health insurance. The government’s motion to dismiss that case in the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia was denied a couple months ago.
In the Senate legislative debate, peripheral issues including who and what will be covered by reformed health insurance now overshadow the policy issues of cost control and wellness efforts. Lobbyists arguing about abortion coverage and benefits for illegal immigrants far outnumber those concerned about how the legislation will affect medical care delivery.
SOURCE: Charlotte Examiner
