To borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill, it is fair to say the health care reform drive, if not at the beginning of the end, is at the end of the beginning.

As congressional panels move quickly to pass reform legislation, our previous enthusiasm about the way the Obama administration and key lawmakers were approaching the issue has diminished.

Our disappointment centers on several fronts. Following the path the Clinton administration took in its failed attempt to win approval of its reform plan in 1993, key congressional Democrats are making little effort to modify the legislation to win Republican support.

Not a single Republican member on the three congressional panels that approved reform bills last week voted in favor of the legislation.

The flaws in a partisan approach are obvious. For one, given that neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, it almost certainly ensures that if a bill is passed, it will be flawed, probably in major ways.

We also are appalled at the brief time—a few days for the House panels—legislators are taking to examine the bill before voting. The House bill is more than 1,000 pages. We don't believe that is enough time for any legislator to give a bill this large and important the scrutiny it deserves.


The Obama administration is not without blame, either. It has been pressing its allies in the Senate and House to approve measures before the August recess so a final bill can be signed in October.

Why the rush? The reason, we surmise, is the administration and reform backers in Congress fear that, with more time, opponents will be able to muster more opposition and perhaps defeat the legislation.

To that, we say: If the legislation is so well-drafted, allowing more time for an examination of it will increase, not decrease, support.

We fully believe the nation's health care system is badly in need of reform. But a partisan bill passed at breakneck speed is not the way to make sure a reform measure will not do more harm than good.

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