Dems Vow to Resurrect Health Care Bill

Searching for path forward, congressional Dems vow to pass a health care bill

Giving up on overhauling the nation’s health care system is not an option, the top House Democrat said Wednesday as lawmakers looked to President Barack Obama for guidance in his State of the Union address on how to revive the stalled legislation.

Asked if Congress might abandon a health care initiative beset with political and policy problems, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., responded: “I don’t see that as a possibility. We will have something.”

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer told congressional staff that Obama will use Wednesday night’s address to reiterate his commitment to an ambitious remake of the nation’s health care system, similar to the call he issued last September after critics seized the momentum during a summer of angry town hall meetings.

Although lawmakers don’t expect to hear a specific prescription for how to move forward, Pfeiffer said the president would offer “additional details” on his health care goals.

The speech comes as Democrats are struggling to find a way to advance health care legislation after the loss of a Massachusetts Senate seat last week cost them the 60-vote majority needed to deliver.

“The president is a strong persuader, as they say, and I think it makes an awful lot of difference, and I think he will bring everybody together,” said Rep. John Larson, D-Conn.

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