HEALTH-CARE MANDATE: Voting 187 for and 230 against, the House on June 15 defeated a GOP bid to use HR 5486 (above) as a vehicle for repealing the new health law’s requirement that individuals who can afford it obtain medical insurance either at work or in a state-run exchange. The purpose of the individual mandate is to hold down everybody’s health costs by establishing the largest possible pool of insured persons. Critics say the mandate is oppressive because those without coverage will face financial penalties. At least 20 states have filed suits challenging the requirement.

The Herald-Journal

Congressman Spratt had an opportunity to show the people of the Fifth Congressional District that he was listening to us.  He had an opportunity to show us he’s been watching the polls and we are highly disapproving of him.  He had this opportunity and he blew it.  Spratt was one of the Congressmen who voted against repealing the unconstitutional health care mandate.

According to the Daily Kos, Spratt has the ability to ram the Democrats’ health care bill through the House and then the Senate using a procedure called reconciliation, which is shielded from any filibuster attempt.  Would ole Bubba risk his own political hide and screw the people of the Fifth District in order to appease Nancy Pelosi and our radical out of touch president?

If you have a package of changes that fit under reconciliation that you think will pass both houses — and that’s what House, Senate and White House negotiators were working on in late December and early January before the Massachusetts special election — you take those changes, write ‘em up, hand ‘em to the Budget Committee chair — that’s John Spratt (D-SC-05) — and let him hold onto them for a little while.

Next, you dust off H.R. 3200. Remember that one? Not H.R. 3692. That was the bill the House ended up passing. But H.R. 3200 was actually the omnibus bill dishcharged from the Budget Committee in October, consisting of the three committee bills the House worked out in July, and send that to the floor.

Then Spratt goes to the Rules Committee and says that H.R. 3200 is the reconciliation bill the House was instructed to prepare by the Fiscal Year 2010 budget resolution, S. J. Res. 13, and when it comes to the floor, he’d like to be allowed to offer a manager’s amendment consisting of the text of the changes you handed him before. The Rules Committee says OK, and you’re on your way.

The House begins consideration of H.R. 3200, Spratt offers an amendment in the nature of a substitute that has all the agreed-to changes in it, the House passes it and sends it to the Senate. Then the Senate moves it under their own reconciliation procedures, and either agrees to it in which case it’s done, or amends it and the two houses look to move to a conference on it — though it makes the most sense to try to settle things beforehand so the Senate will be satisfied the first time around, too.

That’s mechanically what it would take to get a reconciliation bill done.

Daily Kos