Week 9: Unorthadox Lawmaking: Health Care As A Case Study

Question 1

Obama strategy for ACA

Answer 1

• Set general principles and let Congress flesh out details
• Preempt opposition by negotiating early with interest groups with stake in the existing system
• Stay involved from bully pulpit and personal outreach

Question 2

Democratic Party considered healthcare reform a priority in the face of “Great Recession” ; decades in the making

Answer 2

Republicans and others thought it was a bad time to reform healthcare, thought waiting until economy recovered was better

Question 3

House: Nancy Pelosi asked chairmen of the 3 committees Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and Labor to Negotiate a bill to introduce in all 3 committees

Answer 3

House ACA

Question 4

Senate: two senate committees with health jurisdictions = Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and finance had been working since June 2008.

Answer 4

Met regularly and consulted closely, but produced separate versions

Ted Kennedy chairman of HELP considered healthcare reform top priority

Max Baucus chair of senate finance committee was also committed to avoiding an intercomittee impasse and passing significant legislation.

Question 5

Budget Resolution

Answer 5

Congress yearly passes a budget resolution that sets the framework for spending and tax decisions for the upcoming fiscal year.

Question 6

Budget resolution may call for

Answer 6

Passage of a reconciliation bill to reconcile legislation with the specifications of the budget resolution

Question 7

By law, a reconciliation bill is

Answer 7

Protected from a filibuster in the Senate

Question 8

Senate Budget Chair, Kent Conrad (D-ND), resisted

Answer 8

Senate version of the budget resolution did not include the provision (the provision being healthcare reform accomplished through a reconciliation bill)

Question 9

Budget resolution senate passed and sent to conference

Answer 9

Did not provide for using reconciliation

Question 10

Conrad acquiesced and the conference report approved by both chambers allowed health care reform to be done as a reconciliation bill

Answer 10

Budget resolution also allowed reform of the student loan program to be included in a reconciliation bill

Question 11

3 house committees that have significant jurisdiction over health care

Answer 11

Energy and commerce

Ways and means

Educations and labor

Question 12

Two senate committees with power of health care

Answer 12

Health, education, labor, pensions (HELP)

Finance committee

Question 13

Every year congress passes a budget resolution

Answer 13

That sets the framework for the spending and tax decisions for the coming fiscal year