Dean: Health Care Not Dead Yet

In the face of growing pessimism after the Republican U.S. Senate victory in Massachusetts, Howard Dean, who in December vocally denounced the Senate health care legislation as weak, says he still believes the Democrats can pass a scaled-down health bill despite Republican foot-dragging.

The Associated Press:

Former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean says he still thinks Democrats can get a scaled-back health care bill through Congress.

But Dean also said in a nationally broadcast interview Friday he doubts Republicans will work with Democrats on a compromise measure, even one far more modest and less costly than versions passed by the House and Senate.

Appearing on CBS’s “The Early Show,” the former Vermont governor said he believes Republicans concluded “they can benefit” politically from resisting President Barack Obama’s ambitious health overhaul. But he also said the American people want changes in the system, saying “they didn’t want something that was written by the insurance industry.”

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AP / Charles Dharapak

Howard Dean, who got in some hot water for his earlier “kill the Senate bill” comments, now says Democrats can still get a health care bill through Congress.