上院少数派の共和党がオバマ医療改革をひっくり返す方法

ややこしいのぉ。

WSJ: Democrats Can't Filibuster ObamaCare Repeal

→オバマ医療改革を止めるには下院(共和優勢)と上院(民主優勢)の両方が賛同する必要がある、と思っている人達は間違いですよ〜　という記事。

congressional Republicans could use the reconciliation process to kill ObamaCare with 51 votes in the Senate and a majority in the House of Representatives.

→reconciliation(調停?)という方法を使うと、上院での圧倒多数決議(60以上)なしでもオバマ医療改革を葬り去ることができる、と。reconciliationって何よ？

The Budget Act of 1974 established the reconciliation process. The House and Senate Budget Committees can direct other committees to make changes in mandatory spending (like ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion and insurance subsidies) and the tax code (such as ObamaCare's levies on insurance policies, hospitals and drug companies) to make spending and revenue conform with the goals set by the annual budget resolution.

For example, under reconciliation the Senate Budget Committee could instruct the Senate Finance Committee to reduce mandatory spending on insurance subsidies and Medicaid expansion. These two items make up more than 90% of spending in ObamaCare. All the changes from all the committees are then bundled into one measure and voted upon. Because reconciliation is protected by the rules of the budget process, it doesn't take 60 votes to bring it up and it requires only a simple majority to pass

→1974年成立のBudget Actでreconciliationが定義されている。予算委員会は他の委員会より強い権限を持っており、予算上限に合うよう他の委員会の予算を削ることができる。オバマ医療改革予算の9割以上は上院金融委員会で決定されているから、予算委員会はここを叩けば良い。そして完成する(オバマ医療改革を殺した)予算案を決議すればいいのだが、Budget Act 1974は圧倒多数決議不要。過半数でよい。すなわち、上院での51賛成で可決できてしまう。

となると、2012年選挙で共和党が上院過半数を取れるか、ということに焦点が移っていくのだが...

Congressional Republicans are getting crucial help in this battle from allies outside Washington. Republican governors know that ObamaCare's mandatory expansion of Medicaid rolls will collapse state budgets. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has called ObamaCare "unaffordable, unsustainable and unworkable," and many have criticized the law for shifting billions of dollars onto the states. GOP governors are in charge of at least 10 key battleground states and can continue to drill home this message in states such as Ohio and Florida that are vital to Mr. Obama's re-election.

→オバマ医療改革はMedicaidなど従来連邦政府が支えてきた部分を各州に移転させる要素も含んでいる。ただでさえ財政破綻寸前な州が多い中、この議論は次の選挙で大きな論点になるのでは。