GOP Mass. Win Puts Senate Reform in Question
Brown's victory nixes Democrat's 'super majority' to push reform package containing various HME cuts.
- By David Kopf
- Jan 22, 2010
The battle to win late Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass.) seat in Congress was decided in an upset election that stunned Democrats, leaving them without the "super majority" they had hoped would easily push through the Senate healthcare reform package.
While Kennedy had held the seat for 46 years, Democratic candidate Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley lost it on Tuesday, conceding defeat in the special election to Republican Scott Brown.
The win jeopardizes the reform bill since Democrats now have only 59 members in their caucus, one vote shy of the 60 needed to beat any possible Republican filibuster. The news could benefit the HME industry, given that various provisions in healthcare reform hurt the industry, including include an acceleration of round two of competitive bidding, elimination of the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs, an excise tax on medical equipment manufacturers, and productivity adjustments that would cut the annual consumer price index updates for HME reimbursement.
It’s not certain how Democratic leaders in Congress will proceed in their consideration of the House and Senate health reform bills. Hill sources indicated to AAHomecare that congressional leaders had been very close to working out a final bill with the White House. The election dashes Democrats’ hopes of signing a health reform bill into law before President Obama’s State of the Union Address on January 27.
"Democratic leaders will now face a hard choice of whether to push the Senate plan through the House quickly, which the odds are against, or go the path of reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes to pass," read a statement from the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers.
"If congress decides to scale back its health reform agenda in order to win over Republicans, that less-ambitious approach may benefit the HME sector, which is the target of several onerous provisions," read a statement from the American Association for Homecare.
About the Author
David Kopf is the Editor of HME Business.