Yesterday, Senator Max Baucus announced his intent to implement the first round of modifications to his compromise health care legislation in order to
address concerns of affordability made by Senate Democrats, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe. The move, which plans to reallocate $28 billion within the bill, aims to create larger subsidizes for low income individuals and lower the penalties for those who do not purchase health care coverage.

Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, announced yesterday that his compromise health care bill will be released Wednesday. The bill, the result of ongoing negotiations between the Senate's "gang of six"(3 Democrats and 3 Republicans on the Finance Committee) is expected to cost $880 billion over the next 10 years and be representative of the most moderate proposal going through Congress currently.

As President Obama prepares to give his second speech to a joint session of Congress the question of whether or not health care reform will pass literally hangs in the balance. This is a fact that has not been lost on the White House and yesterday the President met with leaders from Congress to strategize a way to pass this bill by the end of the year. The first step in that strategy is obviously tonight's speech. This is Obama's last ditch effort to reclaim the debate and if the train can't get on the tracks tonight, it's unclear whether it ever will.

When President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress next Wednesday it won't simply be his most contentious night in the House chamber, it will also determine whether or not the Democrats will be able to reclaim the health care debate in order to pass some sort of reform. In order to do that the President is going to need to get back to the basics and explain, in painfully clear detail, what exactly he wants this reform to be. Then he needs to go out and force Congress to deliver him that piece of legislation.

Sounds likes a piece of cake, right?

Alright, so I don't think many people would argue that August was a rather...trying month for the President. Luckily he's on vacation now, but while he was in DC the place was nearly caving in around him. Congressmen couldn't stick to their talking points, angry town halls led Members to question their support, and the Republican attack machine did not miss a beat or opportunity to slam their democratic opponents for their support of health care reform.

All August long we have heard cries of how much our health care reform is going to cost. The number thrown around most seems to be $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years. However, President Obama has often said that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of overhauling our Nation's health care delivery system. He says the bill he signs will be deficit neutral, and will actually save the American people money over time.

--Felton Newell's Health Care Reform Now Huff Post Op-Ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/felton-newell/health-care-reform-now_b_270...

--California Has a Yard Sale
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/us/28garage.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

--Apparently, Congress Can Agree on a Few Things
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare-common-g...

--The Final Brother
http://www.newsweek.com/id/213875

-- Kennedy's Seat
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/08/momentum_build...

Yesterday the news of Senator Ted Kennedy's death spread like wild fire. In the early hours of the morning, Kennedy had already been classified as a "patriarch of the Democratic Party" a "Senate stalwart," and "the last of a generation." However I believe President Obama summed up Senator Kennedy's legacy better than anyone, "For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts."

Last week the Newell for Congress Campaign discussed the possibility of the Democrats using reconciliation to pass a health care bill in the Senate that included a public option. By using reconciliation, Senate democrats would only need a simple 50 + 1 vote to pass the bill -- And they clearly have those votes. Over the weekend that possibility took one more step towards becoming a reality, when Chuck Schumer (D-NY) appeared on "Meet the Press."

The big buzz word in terms of health care these days seems to be "reconciliation." And the looming question is, will the democrats use the parliamentary maneuver to push their health care legislation through? For those who haven't heard the talking heads pontificate on this subject, reconciliation is a procedure that the democrats included in the 2010 budget that allows them to pass health care reform with only a simple 50 + 1 majority in the Senate.