Pelosi Aims for Health-Bill Vote Next Week
WSJ
By PATRICK YOEST
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a news conference on health-care reform Tuesday.
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she expects the House will vote on health-care legislation next week, despite continued dissension among conservative Democrats on the measure.
When asked if the House would vote on the measure next week, Ms. Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters "that is what our intention is."
"We are going in a forward direction, we are on course, we are pleased with the progress that has been made," Ms. Pelosi said.
Seven members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats, have threatened to withhold their support for the measure in the House Energy and Commerce Committee unless changes are made to control health-care costs and reduce the package's overall price-tag. Since their support is likely needed for approval of the bill in the Energy and Commerce panel, it is currently at a stand-still.
Ms. Pelosi on Wednesday said that "some of the issues that the Blue Dogs have put forth are issues that we're all worried about," and she suggested that she was open to the group's proposal to create a strengthened outside advisory council for Medicare.
While the concept of a Medicare council has won praise from the White House because it could help rein in long-term health costs, some lawmakers have suggested it would unduly diminish congressional authority to decide the level of Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals.
Ms. Pelosi indicated that there could be middle ground on the proposal, however.
"We want to do it in a way that respects the prerogative of the United States Congress as well as the president of the United States," Ms. Pelosi said.
Write to Patrick Yoest at patrick.yoest@dowjones.com
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These people truly are insane.
2010 is going to make 1994 look like, well, a tea party.
