The nature and outcome of health reform was thrown into turmoil this week with the election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown to fill the Senate seat of the departed Ted Kennedy, longtime liberal lion of the U.S. Senate. Brown will be the 41st Republican Senator when sworn in sometime in the next week or so, depriving Democrats of their filibuster-proof majority.

It is difficult to overstate the impact that this one election has on health reform. Up until now, discussions were taking place entirely between House and Senate Democrats with no virtually no Republican involvement. With Brown’s election, Republicans now have the ability to stop the current version of health reform in Congress, unless Democrats pursue one of several unpalatable and unpopular alternatives to avoid the Senate. (For more details, see CMA President J. Brennan Cassidy’s letter to physicians on this issue.)

The ultimate impact of the new paradigm in Washington is as of yet uncertain. While the slowed pace may present an opportunity for CMA to fight for our priority issues, the retrenching may also cost us some of the provisions in the health reform proposals for which we successfully fought. We will know more about the plans of congressional leaders and the Obama Administration in the days to come, as they figure out their response.

Bottom line: any health reform legislation that makes it to the President’s desk will very likely be either markedly scaled down from the House or Senate bills, or a combined proposal.

Regardless of the new direction reform efforts may take, CMA remains committed to expanding meaningful access to care while preserving and protecting the doctor-patient relationship.

Contact: Elizabeth McNeil, 415/882-3376 or emcneil@cmanet.org.