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Health Care Debate Moves to the Senate

11/9/2009, by Proloy Bhatta

HIGHLIGHTS

• CNN on Obama's health care plan: Oppose 53%, Favor 45%.
• Ipsos: Oppose 49%, Favor 39%.
• 17% say health care is America's top priority.

Late Saturday, while we weren't watching, the House voted for a health care bill 220-215. The narrow margin was due to the fact that only one Republcan voted for the bill and 39 Democrats voted against it.

The focus now turns to the Senate.

The Democrats are going to need 60 votes to block a filibuster or invoke reconciliation with just 51 votes.

Here is what CBS News had to say about reconciliation.

This past summer, the Senate wrote into its budget rules that beginning Oct. 15, they could use a procedural maneuver called "reconciliation" to pass health care reform, which would allow the bill to pass with 51 votes instead of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.

With Joe Lieberman vowing to filibuster any bill with a public insurance option, the Democrats will need to resort to reconciliation, compromise on the specifics, or fail.

Since Obama has defined his presidency around health care, it is going to be an interesting couple of weeks in the Senate.

Support for Health Care Waning

CNN, 10/30-11/1

"From everything you have heard or read so far, do you favor or oppose Barack Obama's plan to reform health care?"

Over Halloween weekend, CNN conducted a poll that showed the opposition to Obama's health care reform to be the greatest of his presidency. 53% oppose, 45% favor.

Just a few week prior, adults were split evenly among favoring the plan and opposing it. A month earlier than that, support for Obama on this plan had a 5% margin.

And according to Ipsos/McClatchy in a poll they conducted 10/29-11/1:

"As of right now, do you favor or oppose the health care reform proposals presently being discussed?"

Oppose 49%, Favor 39%.

Healthcare as America's Top Issue

About 1-in-5 Americans see health care as being the top priority of the United States.

The same CNN poll cited above found that health care was the top concern by 17% of Americans -- down from last month, but double since the beginning of Obama's presidency.

According to USA Today/Gallup in a poll they conducted mid-October, 17% also identified health care as their most important issue. That was more than triple what it was in November 2008.

If you support some type of government reform of health care, the American Medical Association is requesting you to send a letter to your senator.

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