Each party claiming political momentum on health care reform

Gov. Ed Rendell demanded Monday that Senate Republicans return for a controversial lame-duck session to address his health care legislation, arguing better health care remains an important political issue for lawmakers who want to please their constituents.

But Senate Republicans are balking at the request and challenge his assertion that political momentum is behind his proposal to expand health care access to nearly 200,000 Pennsylvanians.

The latest health care showdown, the first since Election Day, could determine whether last weeks' results have any effect on what has been one of the governor's top legislative priorities.

The governor pushed his plan at a press conference with embattled House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County) in Philadelphia and later joined state Senators Jay Costa (D-Allegheny County) and Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) on a conference call with a reporters.

The governor said at the conference call that lawmakers "hear it every day from people on health care."

"It's the number one issue besides the economy," Rendell said. "They get hit with it every day."

Already existing funds would pay for the plan, he said, which should ease concerns about extra spending during a year when tax revenue has already fallen hundreds of millions of dollars short of projections. He added that any federal program enacted by President Elect Barack Obama is still likely several years away.

Rendell's proposal has already passed the State House, which is under Democratic control.

Senate Republicans, pending what happens to the old Senate seat of the late Jim Rhoades, at least temporarily increased their advantage in the Senate to 29-20 for next session. The Election Day success would appear to be an endorsement of their agenda, which has included steadfast opposition to the governor's health care legislation because of its price tag.

But Costa said every Republican senator involved in this year's election had to talk about health care reform, particularly first-time candidates Kim Ward and Elder Vogel Jr in western Pennsylvania.

Those newly elected senators know "something needs to get done," Costa said. He said he thinks each will help Democrats with their health care push.

Costa and Hughes also tried to drive a wedge between Senate Republican leadership and rank-and-file members. Most caucus members want to work on health care but have their attempts squashed by leadership, they said, pointing in particular to state Sen. Edwin Erickson (R-Delaware County).

"Senator Erickson wanted to do something, but my sense is, once it (gets) up to the leadership level, it gets squashed," Costa said.

But Erickson, in an interview with PolitickerPA.com, said there isn't a rift between he and his leadership, saying they knew he was talking to Democrats about health care.

He said after talking with the Democratic senators, he never heard back from them.

"I assumed this whole issue wasn't on the front-burner," Erickson said. He added that he thought all Senate candidate this year were "running and hiding" from the governor's health care plan.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware County) said the Senate will not be returning for a lame-duck session, citing what he says is its commitment to openness and transparency. Government-reform advocates have argued the late-in-the-year meetings are ripe for abuse, particularly with lawmakers who have already been removed from office.

The majority leader said newly elected legislators should have a chance to weigh in on Rendell's policies.

"It is not clear why the governor and House majority leader would want to deny the 35 new members of the General Assembly the opportunity to shape Pennsylvania's health care policy," Pileggi said in a statement.