A good Christmas present

You probably know by now that the Senate voted to cut off debate on the health care bill and is almost certain to pass it around 7pm EST on Christmas eve. I’ll go on record as noting that it’s probably the best Christmas present that the Senate has given to the country in it’s history. complain all you want about this provision that didn’t make the cut or that one that got watered down. The bottom line is that more people will have health insurance and fewer people are going to needlessly die. That’s especially true for lots of children who are currently uninsured, but who will get insurance under the bill.

Fewer dead kids. If you don’t think that’s both consistent with the “Christmas spirit” and an improvement over the status quo, I suppose we see things differently.

I should also note, though, that this doesn’t change my assessment of the Senate. The fact that a good bill is going to pass doesn’t mean that the House bill wasn’t better than what we’ll get with the Senate. On immigration reform, climate change, and financial regulation, I think that if we see the Senate pass any bills at all, they are going to be significantly less effective than what we would get in a unicameral system.

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