Conyers criticizes health care reform bill

The White House may be celebrating the fact that the Senate finally managed to overcome their arcane rules and schedule a vote on the health care reform bill — a vote that will almost certainly approve the bill — but Rep. John Conyers of Detroit is none too happy with what’s in the bill. The Detroit Free Press reports:

In a statement today, Conyers – a Detroit Democrat who has been a staunch supporter of a single-payer insurance system – said Monday evening’s procedural vote on health care reform legislation in the Senate should be praised only for what it was, “an affirmative statement that comprehensive health care reform legislation should not be held captive any longer by a select few.”

But he left open whether he can support the legislation if it comes out of a House-Senate conference committee looking too much like the Senate version, which he said “does not adequately address the problems that plague our current system.”

Perhaps most importantly to single-payer supporters like Conyers is the lack of a so-called public option plan in the Senate version. The House version includes such a government insurance plan which would compete with private insurers to keep costs down.

The conference committee that will reconcile the House and Senate versions of health care reform has a very difficult job ahead of them to craft a package that can pass both houses. There are significant blocks in both houses who say they will not vote for the final bill if it contains this or that particular provision — including opposite provisions. Some say they won’t vote for a bill that includes even a hint of funding for abortion coverage, while others say they won’t vote for a bill that does not fund abortion coverage.

This bill is not a done deal yet.