Kennedy's death another chapter in healthcare saga

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-26 16:24

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy introduces Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, in this April 18, 2008 file photo. Kennedy, a major figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died late on August 25, 2009, CNN said. He was 77. [Agencies]

Senator Edward Kennedy's death comes as a political struggle appears to be chipping away at the Democratic power-broker's vision for what he called "the cause of my life," providing affordable healthcare coverage to all Americans.

After decades of laying the groundwork to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, Kennedy, who died late on Tuesday at age 77, was forced into a limited role in the fight to enact such legislation since being diagnosed in May 2008 with brain cancer.

Yet despite being away from Congress most of the year, Kennedy, one of the most effective lawmakers in U.S. history, managed to help draft a preliminary bill to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.

Between chemotherapy treatments, the ailing liberal lion stayed in contact, the best he could, with colleagues and President Barack Obama, who at Kennedy's urging made healthcare reform his top domestic priority.

But Kennedy's physical absence on Capitol Hill created a void felt by those seeking a deal.

"If the country ends up without healthcare reform, I think divine misfortune will be to blame," said Paul Light of New York University's Center for the Study of Congress.

"Kennedy was a powerhouse in face-to-face negotiations who was sensitive to the need for bipartisanship," Light said. "The debate is now stalled and getting vicious. Kennedy wouldn't have allowed it."

But Kennedy's death, with the extensive news coverage and outpouring of affection for him, could actually jump-start the effort for legislation that would be seen as a tribute to his lifetime of work.

'MOST EFFECTIVE'

Republican Senator John McCain has called Kennedy "the most effective member of the Senate if you want to get results."

In a June interview with Reuters, McCain noted the difficulties in reaching a healthcare deal without him.

"The absence of Ted Kennedy is a very big factor," McCain said. "What Ted Kennedy usually does ... is that he sits down and negotiates and then you come to some kind of agreement."

Still, because of competing political and economic pressures, many congressional analysts figure a healthcare bill will be signed into law this year. But they say it is certain to fall far short of Kennedy's goal of covering all of the estimated 46 million Americans without health insurance.

"Whatever passes, Kennedy deserves credit because he's been the guiding light on this issue for decades," said Ethan Siegal of The Washington Exchange, which tracks Congress for institutional investors.

Born to privilege and wealth, Kennedy became a voice for the young and old, poor and disabled, minorities and labor during his nearly half century in the Senate.

Over the years, he led successful efforts to upgrade schools, bolster civil rights, raise the minimum wage, outlaw discrimination and expand healthcare.

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