Earlier this week, the future of health care reform was significantly altered.

On Tuesday, Republican candidate Scott Brown (R-MA) won a special election to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. Brown’s election means that Republicans now have 41 members in the Senate, thus ending the Democratic “supermajority” of 60.

Senator-elect Brown opposed the current health care reform efforts and his election would enable Senate Republicans to filibuster any health care compromise. In light of the Massachusetts election, Congressional Democratic leadership and the Obama Administration have been working throughout the week to develop a strategy to move forward. Although a broad overhaul of the health care system seems less likely now than in previous months, lawmakers are considering a number of strategies that could help achieve the President’s top domestic priority. While many ideas have been offered, with just a few days to digest the impact of the Massachusetts election, no decisions have been made regarding the next steps for health care reform. Some key Members of Congress, such as Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), are asking for a brief recess from health care reform to focus on other issues including, unemployment and the economy.
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