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Clyburn backs piecemeal healthcare approach, aims to finish by Easter
The third-ranking House Democrat on Friday became one of the first leaders in the lower chamber to publicly back the new, scaled-back approach to passing healthcare reform legislation.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), in an interview on the liberal Bill Press radio show, hoped that the piecemeal plan now favored by some in his Caucus would be completed by Easter.
Democrats have been grappling with several alternative ways to pass healthcare reform legislation after Republican Scott Brown (Mass.) was elected to the Senate. Brown will break the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority when he is seated.
Clyburn's words could mean that the scaled-back approach is gaining even more momentum in the House.
Asked when such an approach could be completed, Clyburn replied "Time this thing to give people...wrap it up in an Easter basket."
Easter Sunday this year is Apr. 4, just over ten weeks from now.
Some Senate Democrats, however, have urged the House to pass the Senate's bill as is in order to expedite the process. Political observers worry that the healthcare overhaul could become a ball-and-chain for Democrats should the debate edge closer to this fall's midterm elections.
Clyburn admitted as such, saying "In fact you won't get to the fall. The disaster will take hold long before then."
The South Carolina Democrat said that implementing a national health insurance exchange was a key reform that must be passed in order to keep costs down.
"Then I think you could do something that the American people could be proud of," he said.
The Senate bill did not include a national exchange, instead opting for state exchanges.
Clyburn also said that the Senate should use budget reconciliation procedures to pass the measures, an idea he backed this week.
"I think we can still go with 50 plus one route," he said.
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