So Dr. K, What’s Next?

I get this question all the time – So, Kevin…what’s next?  For the last 10 days I’ve been traveling in London, Jordan and India and – at every stop – was asked the same question.  Right now, it is anyone’s guess on predicting the final content of the healthcare bill.  We will have a healthcare bill but the details are a bit unclear at this moment.  I continue to believe that we are in for a series of little bangs rather than one singular big bang. I also believe we need bi-partisan support among centrist Democrats and Republicans alike to make healthcare reform a reality.  If we look at history the ONLY solutions for the country have come from the center.  We need to encourage that viewpoint at this point in history.  A bipartisan, compressive reform package can pass but it will require Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) reaching across the aisle to Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Max Baucas (D-MT) to make it happen.  I hope – for the American people – that we put our partisan perspectives aside and work to solve the healthcare problem.  Solving the healthcare dilemma is part of the total fabric of change required in the US for helping our nation to maintain a position as a major economic power in the world.  Without reform – we continue to nibble away at our economic base.  The Kaiser Family Foundation released its report on Friday noting that – once again – healthcare inflation was at 5.2% versus a slightly negative inflation rate for overall goods and services.  This is a trend we’ve seen for 30 years – and, it’s not sustainable.  I fear for my children and my children’s children if we don’t take this important step at this important time in history.

At this point not one Republican has signaled their support for the Baucus Bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has promised to rewrite the proposal when it reaches the House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) promised to scrap the bill unless it changes the Medicaid policy.  So where do we go from here?

The three key players at this point are: President Obama, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and the Senate Finance Committee (aka Senator Baucus). Each player has their opinions on how  Americans solve their healthcare issues.  Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) will have to break out his soldering iron over the next couple of weeks and back off from his political position to do a lot of welding of pieces. As Senate Majority Leader, Reid holds the responsibility for crafting a proposal that integrates all three plans into a proposal that can win passage. It is not going to be easy.

I would anticipate over the next two months that the centrist leaders will gain control over the discussions.  Look for the spotlight to shift to Senators Mary Landrieu (D-MD), Blanche Lincoln (D-AK), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) as Senator Reid crafts a coalition to support the final healthcare bill. If Democrats can unify their message as David Axelrod has preached on Capitol Hill for weeks on end, we should expect a continuing and conciliatory outreach to the likes of Republican Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), and Judd Gregg (R-NH). Any one of these Republicans could very well make the difference in passing a final healthcare resolution.  And, so goes the drama in Washington.  It’s a thrilling time to be in Washington and it’s going to be an exciting few months as we watch it all unfold.

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.