It ain’t over till it’s over, but Delegate Donna Christensen said Thursday that federal representatives are still working to make sure the territories are included in Congress’ final version of the health care reform bill, which she anticipates could make it to the president’s desk before the State of the Union address late next month.
"I have a very positive outlook on the outcome," Christensen said Thursday, just hours after the Senate’s version of the bill—dubbed the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act—passed on a 60-39 vote. "I mean, nothing’s done until it’s done. Who knows what might happen, and we’re still looking at the costs, but I’m more than cautiously optimistic."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the bill last month. Benefits extended to the territories in the House bill include a $10.35 billion increase in Medicaid over the next nine years and a place in the Health Insurance Exchange, which will provide subsidies to low-income patients.
Christensen has said that taking part in the exchange will ensure local residents have a "wide range" of insurance options, to include a public option, which she has explained would bring "a significant increase" in public health care funding and more affordable coverage.
In contrast, language relating to the territories in the Senate’s version of the bill is "very vague," Christensen said Thursday.
"It talks about health disparities in the territory, and ensures that they are taken into account, while extending health reform and care to everyone," she explained. "It is very vague language, but it sets the stage for our language to be included, if we all agree."
House democrats have already been caucusing in anticipation of the next step in the process—meetings between House and Senate leadership, which will be tasked with trying to reconcile the two versions of the bill.
The House will be back to work around Jan. 11, but before that, Christensen said there will be another Democratic Caucus meeting to look over some of the issues "we are far apart on and try to see what alternatives we might have."
"The leadership will meet in January, both the House and Senate together, to begin to look at the bills before we actually go into conference," she added, saying that there seems to be an agreement on both sides—thanks to a push from Sens. Chuck Schumer and John Kerry, among others—on language for the territories.
President Barack Obama should be delivering the State of the Union Address late next month, and both sides might try to have the final version of the bill passed somewhere around Jan. 22, Christensen said.
