Do You Like Health Reform? Check Yes or No

In case youre not familiar with the phrase, an up-or-down-vote basically means that everyone simply votes yes or no on the bill and bypasses all the procedural hubbub that normally goes on. Obama thinks this is the only way to make progress, despite the health care summit he held just last week.

“I don’t see how another year of negotiations would help, he said. Moreover, the insurance companies aren’t starting over.”

Still, when I hear that Congress is simply being told to pick yes or no on this complicated issue, I cant help but think of school children passing notes Do you like me? Check one box Yes or No. Just like the essence of a persons feelings for another person cant be summed up by simply checking a box, a decision as important as remaking the health insurance system cant be left to a simple yea or nay.

Obama says theyve been at it a year, and that another year wont do any good. But a year seems hardly anything in the grand scheme of things. After all, well be dealing with the effects of this legislation for generations to come, and if the Social Security crisis has taught us anything, its that its much easier to pass the bill than to fix it later.

Since support for the health reform bill is split almost evenly on party lines, its almost a certainty that the decision to support or not support the bill has everything to do with politics and little to do with the bills viability. Even so, I think Obama might be pushing for passage because hes afraid too many people will start to check the no box on his Do you like me? questionnaire. After all, public support for reform is dwindling a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44 percent favor the plan (down 6 percent from last June, though up from last week).

So what do you think? Is the up-or-down-vote the way to go? Is it time to finally put this beast to bed? Or would you rather see the debate dragged out?

Heather Trese is the associate editor of the Agent’s Sales Journal.