Health Care Goes Behind Closed Doors

Despite promises from Barack Obama that health-care legislation would be passed out in the open for all to see, the senators working on the overhaul bill have returned to negotiate behind closed doors. It is a familiar move for Washington but one that runs against the president's pledge. Beginning last Wednesday and moving into next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators Chris Dodd and Max Baucus, along with the president's top aides, have sat at a table, seeking to reconcile the two competing health-care bills into one. Said House Minority Leader John Boehner, "This bill is being written in the dark of night...the president ought to keep his promise to the American people and open this process up."