Blog - Congress Links

Legislating doesn’t get much more exciting than this. In the House, 219 Democrats banded together and, over the unanimous objection of House Republicans, cast a historic vote Sunday night to enact the most sweeping health care legislation in decades. But the drama isn’t over yet. President Obama is expected to sign the Senate health care bill (H.R.3590) into law tomorrow morning and Senate Democrats are hoping to pass a package of changes (H.R.4872) to the bill this week through budget reconciliation. For more on what health care reform will mean to you and to Washington, check out today’s web roundup:

• Ezra Klein has been indispensable during the health care debate and he was in top form today. Instead of focusing on the political ramifications, he went straight for the substance. (The Washington Post)

• How much does the bill really cost?
• What will it do in its first year?
• How does it control health care costs?
• How will insurers react?
• Who isn’t covered by the bill?

• David Frum, a former speech writer for the previous President Bush, has some very sobering words about how the Republicans handled themselves in this debate and what they lost. (FrumForum)
• Frum also offers the GOP some advice on what to do next. (CNN)
• Republicans are now vowing to run on a campaign to repeal the Democratic health care plan but Jeffrey Toobin thinks they’re out of luck. (The New Yorker)