A report from the Center on Budget Priorities (CBPP) released January 27 examines the historical use of the budget reconciliation process to pass legislation in the context of enacting health reform.

From the report:

Some critics have charged that using reconciliation to enact a major change in policy, such as health reform, would be unprecedented and would represent a gross misuse of the process. A review of the past use of reconciliation demonstrates, however, that this charge is incorrect:

• Congress has employed reconciliation many times to make major policy shifts.
• The sharp break with past practice took place in 2001, when Congress used reconciliation to enact a large tax cut that greatly increased federal deficits and debt
• If health reform is enacted in part through the use of the reconciliation process, the reconciliation legislation will have to be designed so it does not add to the deficit
• Since rising health care costs are the single largest reason for projected long-run deficits, it is appropriate that health reform be considered through the reconciliation process.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2010). Using reconciliation process to enact health reform would be fully consistent with past practice. Van de Water, P.N.; & Horney, J.R.