The Starter Home
But let’s not kid ourselves: If and when a bill goes to President Obama for signing, it’s not going to look radically different than the measure Reid put forth today. Ben Nelson, the sixtieth vote, made that clear when he warned that he was prepared to change his vote if the bill came back from conference looking radically different.
That's frustrating. But it shouldn't take away from what a huge accomplishment this is. As Dodd reminded people in his remarks, this measure is going to make life better not just for millions, but tens of millions of people. Those without insurance will get it; those with it will have guarantees of financial security they never had before. The government will begin creating an infrastructure for making our health care system focus on better quality care, even as it tries to make the system less expensive.
And that's not the end of the story. There will be opportunities to improve this law even after it becomes law. Social Security evolved that way. Medicare too. Health care reform can too.
