Dems tout policy; GOP attacks process

In a week that could see a conclusive vote on healthcare in the House, the two parties spent Tuesday sharpening their final messages, with Democrats pinning hopes on talk of policy while Republicans aimed their ire at the process.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, Democrats repeated a refrain focused on the underlying substance of the health overhaul legislation even as Republicans hammered the majority party over how it plans to pass the bill.

“I think we spent too much time on this process,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) after he emerged from a closed-door meeting of House Democrats. “Why don't we talk about what's in the bill?”

Democrats hope that by paring their message so that they highlight measures meant to restrain private insurance companies, close costly Medicare loopholes and expand coverage, they can counter GOP-led charges that they are trying to pass a bill using a legislative backdoor.

Though a final path to passage has yet to be drawn, Democrats are eyeing a procedure known as a “self-executing rule,” or “deem and pass.” Under the process, the House would adopt a rule for a vote on several add-on reform measures to the Senate's bill. If passed, the Senate's bill would be “deemed” passed as well.

Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), the senior Republican on the Rules Committee, called the method a way for Democrats to avoid accountability on a vote that could prove a sticking point in many legislative districts this year.

“That, to me, is really not the proper route to take on this,” Dreier said. “Frankly, it's being done in an attempt to mask it.”

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), who serves on the House Energy and

Commerce Committee, also accused Democrats of gaming the system.

“I think the public will recoil and be quite punitive if there's not a vote on the bill—if they just try to pass it on a parliamentary trick,” he said.

Democrats, however, countered that Republicans have used such a move many times in the past.

What do you think? Post a comment on this article and share your opinion with other readers. Submit your letter to Modern Physician Online at [email protected]. Please be sure to include your hometown and state, along with your organization and title.