Charles Schumer Leans Toward Democrat-Only Health Care Solution

Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said time is running short for the Senate to get a health-care reform bill passed and signed into law by the end of the year. Given the difficulties negotiating a bipartisan bill, Schumer said he'd rather ditch efforts to win GOP votes.


The New York Times reports that Democrats are considering use of a tactic known as "budget reconciliation" to pass the health bill, which would require only 51 votes instead of the 60 needed to prevent a Republican filibuster. This tactic would require showing that the bill would change federal spending or revenues.

According to a Bloomberg report, Schumer said Democrats are doing everything they can to come up with a bipartisan bill, but they are also looking into possible one-party options.

Meanwhile, Republicans object to using an expedited process to push the bill and are hopeful they will reach an agreement on a bipartisan plan. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Democrats would be abusing the legislative process if they push the bill through with little or no Republican support.