A Role for ASQ in Healthcare Legislation

ASQ worked extensively on the quality components of the health care legislation that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 215-210 margin. Several of the committees of jurisdiction that produced the bill had asked for ASQ’s opinion and advice.

The legislative focus now turns to the Senate as it debates its version of the bill, which Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) hopes to vote on by November 25. Then the conference process begins. Members from the House and Senate, chosen from the committees that considered these bills, will work to straighten out the differences between the two bills and produce a single bill that will then go back to the House and Senate again for another vote. If the bill gets passed again by each body, it will then go to the president for his signature. The Democrats are hoping that this can all be done before the end of the year so the issue doesn't flow over into an election year.

ASQ now looks to work with the Department of Health and Human Services, once the bill is signed by President Obama, to offer help as the law is implemented throughout the country.