Health Care Debate on Capitol Hill

President Obama, and many of the democrats ran on a platform promising major changes to our healthcare system. By all accounts, it appears as if the process has taken it first steps..

Today The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee formally opened the legislative process that will likely over-shadow all other legislation for most of the summer.
Senator Christopher Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, and leading voice in the process, stated
“This is about as historic as it gets for all of us,” “There have been major bills that we have all worked on over the years, that have been significant, that have been huge. But this will affect everybody, 100 percent of American citizens.”
This is not the first attempt to overhaul our country's health care system. That last major attempt took place in the opening months of the Clinton administration. That attempt, lead in large part by the then first-lady, was fought vigorously and successfully by the Republicans who in large part saw it as an attempt for government to grow at the expense of the private sector. With health care consuming such a large share of America's gross domestic product; it is easy to understand the concern most American's had back at that time. Matters were not helped by the "Closed-door" way that many of the possible changes found there way into the bill.

This time again, Republicans have in large measure been reluctant to support many of the proposals that have been put forth thus far. Unlike 16 years ago, there is a basic realization on all sides that "Something must be done" to address the run-a-way costs of our health car system.The Senate Finance Committee has been working to craft a more centrist bill, that is expected to have a greater opportunity at reaching a bipartisan accord.

One voice that was clearly missing from the room, was that of Dodd's close friend Senator Edward M. Kennedy,who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer. For the past 30 years no other Senator's name has been so closely tied to the cause of changing health care in a way to make sure that all Americans have access.