Will Obama sign a Health Care Reform bill?

Health Reform: Can the Democrats Cross the Finish Line?
By Karen Tumulty Thursday, Mar. 04, 2010

After months of uncertainty, a road map for passing comprehensive health care reform is finally at hand, one that could send a bill to Barack Obama’s desk by the end of March. But it is going to require House and Senate Democrats to put aside their mutual suspicions, join hands and take a political leap worthy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Obama finally laid down his demand for action in a speech on March 3 at the White House. “No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year but for decades,” he said. “I have therefore asked leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks.”

The path to enactment, as it is envisioned now, requires two steps. First, the House would pass the exact bill that cleared the Senate on Christmas Eve — even though it is loaded with provisions that many in the House say they would not accept in a final product. Next, the two chambers would fine-tune that bill with a set of compromises that they would pass under a filibuster-proof procedure known as budget reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes to clear the Senate…

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