By Noam N. Levey|June 05, 2009
Reporting from Washington — Senate Democrats and the White House are stepping up preparations to overhaul the nation's healthcare system without the ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), a politically and emotionally fraught move that could dramatically alter the course of what is expected to be a titanic legislative struggle.
While battling a malignant brain tumor, the 77-year-old Kennedy -- who has devoted much of his 46-year Senate career to advocating for better healthcare -- spent months working on a sweeping bill that Democrats hope will help lay a foundation for the most ambitious health overhaul in generations.
And lawmakers in both parties were counting on Kennedy's stature and deal-making skills to help craft the kind of bipartisan compromise that many believe will be necessary if a major health bill is to pass the House and Senate.
Kennedy had planned to formally introduce his version of the healthcare overhaul shortly after Congress returned from recess this week. But he remains out of town, undergoing treatment, and is not expected back at the Capitol for at least a week or two.
Underscoring the sensitivity of the situation, Senate leaders had contemplated putting off debate on Kennedy's bill until he returned -- at the request of people close to the Massachusetts senator -- said sources familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to speak on the record.
But amid concerns from some Democratic lawmakers and the White House that the delay would jeopardize progress on healthcare legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in the last week sought and received Kennedy's permission to move ahead without him.
Senate Democrats have set an ambitious timeline, aiming to get legislation through their chamber by August and to President Obama's desk by early fall.
Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut -- the No. 2 Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a close friend of Kennedy -- called committee Democrats together this week to discuss the bill.
Dodd, whom Kennedy had tapped as his chief healthcare deputy, also appeared in his place at a White House meeting Tuesday with Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is also developing healthcare legislation. And Tuesday night, Dodd sat down with Sen. Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, the ranking Republican on the health committee, to talk about the legislation.
