In an effort to craft a compromise between those who oppose any government role and those who believe health care should be entirely a government function, lawmakers have handed the public a bill that relies entirely on the private market while government helps people pay the bill and sets out rules so that private companies will behave better. Neither the left nor the right are satisfied, but its hard to see how it could have come out any other way.

It took a year to get to this point--with efforts to reach compromises large and small dating back to this time last year. And not to forget, we've been on this hay ride before--1993, 1977, 1971, 1965, 1945 (check out the timeline in pictures here).

As a reminder, bipartisan negotiation over health reform didn't start in December, or even back in the fall. Congress got serious about crafting health reform and began debate about options more than a year ago, shortly after the new administration took office. There have been countless hearings, half a dozen bills, and negotiations over issues large and small.

Just to run through the highlights (there's far too much to list it all):

February 26, 2009: Obama "formally launched" a drive for health reform at a forum of lawmakers and 120 health policy experts in Washington.

Mr. Baucus and Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said they were aiming to put together a health care bill by June.

Representative Joe Barton, the top Republican on the House panel that leads on health care, complimented the president on getting all sides together and said "if this is a real process and we're listened to, folks like me will participate."

March 24, 2009: Senate HELP committee holds hearings on insurance market reforms in comprehensive health care reform.

March 24-April 2, 2009: House Energy and Commerce holds a series of hearings (posted here, here, here and here) on a variety of issues in health reform, from cost to access to care.

April 28, 2009: Senate HELP committee holds hearings on lessons learned from state health reform efforts.

April 29, 2009: Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) issue bipartisan policy options paper outlining some approaches to reforming the way care is delivered for broader discussion.

April 30, 2009: Senate HELP committee holds hearings on primary health care access.

May 14 and 20, 2009: Baucus and Grassley issue options for financing comprehensive reform and options for covering everyone also for broader discussion and consideration.

May 14, 2009: Senate HELP holds hearings on innovative ways to improve how we deliver primary and specialty care.

June 11-17, 2009: Senate HELP holds hearings on options for comprehensive reform, bringing together many stakeholders.

June 17, 2009: Those good feelings are already eroding. After months of negotiation in key committees, lawmakers began to slip their deadlines.

Grassley said closed-door negotiations for a bipartisan health reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee hit a snag, delaying an important cost estimate of that bill. But he expressed optimism that the committee will be able to reach a bipartisan health care reform bill.

June 25, 2009: House Energy and Commerce closes three days of hearings on a discussion draft of comprehensive health reform legislation.

July 15-30, 2009: House Education and Labor considers "tri-committee" bill that merges its efforts with that of Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees.

July 16, 2009: House Ways and Means committee considers its version of HR 3200.

July 31, 2009: House Energy and Commerce closes five days of discussion and amendments to H.R. 3200, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009".

September 16-22, 2009: Senate Finance issues America's Healthy Future Act, CBO issues estimates, amendments from both parties are put forward and worked into a "Chairman's markup."

October 2-21, 2009: America's Healthy Future Act is amended in committee, the CBO reports on the amended version, and the committee reports out the bill.

November 3 and 10, 2009: Senate HELP holds hearings on the cost of health insurance for small business and the cost of being sick.

November 7, 2009: House passes Affordable Health Care for America Act. Here's a link where you can see a more comprehensive list of various hearings on the combined bill.

December 24, 2009: The Senate strikes everything from the House bill and substitutes its own language as amended.

And then the negotiations to find common ground between the House and Senate begin. For a year, we've been having open and public debate about a range of options to reduce the cost of insurance, improve care, and much more. There's been vote after vote, and the issues in dispute have gotten narrower and narrower. Was the process perfect. No doubt the answer is no. But it has been a thoughtful process with impressive contributions by both Democrats and Republicans. So after more than a year, its time to finish it.

comments (9)

Comments

1 Posted by Anthony J. DelVacchio, Jr. at 03/04/10 01:30 PM

What is Prescription for Change smoking??? I have been a member of Consumers Union practically all of my life, and believed in their former principles. How PFC can be so blinded as to what is really going to happen if Obamacare becomes law is totally devastating to me. What are you thinking?? Have things gotten this bad, that the supposed "PROTECTOR OF THE PEOPLE" have been been seduced by "THE ONE", and cannot see the destruction that this bill will create?
There goes my subscription to Consumer Reports!

2 Posted by Roger Miller at 03/04/10 03:06 PM

I suppose I'd have to say, "So what?" The length or difficulty of the trip is good for historical analysis but otherwise is moot if you find you find afterwards you're in the wrong place. Which, in my opinion, is where we'll be given our current heading.

Practically speaking, anyone who's still conscious knows HCR will only work on a per-capita mandatory contribution, single pool, single contract and single payer basis.

As for mandatory participation; not needed. Folks who don't want to participate in the program they must pay into, like Social Security now, are free to seek their HC in the market place but will do so on their dime over and above their mandatory contribution to the national pool.

Now, either scrap this morass called Health Care Reform and start over without the interference of any special interest groups, power mongers, ideologues and proceed with one clear objective. Or, scrap the morass, open the doors to interstate competition, aggressively enforce current regulations and otherwise leave the correction to the free market.

What is now proposed will definitely be worse than either of these two options----for everybody concerned.

3 Posted by Debbi at 03/04/10 10:03 PM

I am so disappointed. I honestly didn't realize that Consumer's Union was taking a political side on issues. Guess my years as a subscriber are over.

4 Posted by Roger Paul Lahti at 03/05/10 12:48 AM

I've been receiving these posts from CU advocating we jump on the Obamacare band wagon and am thinking, "Where are these people coming from?" The information put out by CU on this subject is so bogus as to make me wonder who's paying CR. Is CR no more independent than AARP which has sold out to the "Progressives" who are trying to change our country from "The Home of the Free" to some sort of semblance to the former USSR?! Am I going to have to look elsewhere for unbiased information on Products and Gov shenanigans?

I'm so happy to see that others on this blog have not been hoodwinked by whoever is pushing this monstrosity for CU

5 Posted by Dan Cochran at 03/05/10 09:50 AM

I would appreciate if CU would stop sending those ObamaCare-loving emails. You do NOT represent my views on this issue AT ALL!!! I'm terrified at the thought of the federal government breaching the 10th Amendment to the Constitution by cramming this unwanted health care monstrosity down our throats. The people have DECISIVELY spoken - no ObamaCare, no more deficit spending!

6 Posted by Rubina at 03/06/10 03:51 PM

Unbelievable! Consumer Union Reports is taking a side on health care reform. I was just speaking to my daughter about how important it is to have unbiased information. It saddens me to see such a turn around.

7 Posted by cheryl at 03/07/10 03:49 PM

my thoughts? scrap congress in its entirety and the whitehouse and start over. there is way too much pork in washington to do any US citizen any good.

8 Posted by Penny Q. Ribelin at 03/09/10 04:23 PM

We cannot afford this health care plan as written.

Our government is broke and you are part of the problem.

9 Posted by Danny Kinnard at 04/02/10 12:52 AM

The way this was done is shameful. The wag given by the CBO is grossly short of reality. If it is started over we might get to be heard and everything will not be done in secret or behind closed, locked doors. We need to have input and participation by all who are affected.