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With the fate of health care reform uncertain, local proponents of the reform proposals are pushing for “meaningful” reform despite the uncertainty.

The upset election last week of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, an opponent of the overhaul, has for the time being halted progress for the legislation. The House and Senate already passed separate versions, but the two chambers still need to reconcile the differences between the two versions and pass a merged bill before sending it to President Obama to be signed into law.

Optimistic Democrats are hoping to salvage a scaled-back plan. But all options are being considered Ń from the likely to the unlikely Ń including having the House pass the Senate bill unchanged, to letting health care reform die for the year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t have the votes needed in the House to pass the Senate bill, and many Democrats aren’t ready yet to let the overhaul proposal die. 

Most are pushing for a scaled-back bill, including a focus on insurance reforms like federal funding for high-risk pools; prohibiting insurers from dropping coverage for those who become sick; extending coverage for children on their parents’ plan and repealing the insurance industry’s antitrust exemption. 

Other ideas in a scaled-back version call for expanding coverage through federal tax credits; extending credits to small businesses to help them provide health benefits; and offering financial incentives for states to expand Medicaid.

As Democrats weigh their options, local proponents of the overhaul are encouraging lawmakers to stay the course and fight for reform.

“(The Massachusetts) vote was not a referendum on health care reform,” said Hillary Jorgensen, campaign manager for Colorado Health Care for America Now. “It was a referendum on a particular candidate in a climate in which people, hard pressed by the economy, are impatient for change. People are clearly angry and want more change, not less. Congress must keep going and finish health care reform right.”

Proponents would like to see health reform that extends insurance coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans, creates exchanges where individuals can shop for insurance plans and bars insurance practices like refusing coverage to people with preexisting conditions, as was included in both the House and Senate versions.

Congressman Mike Coffman, however, doesn’t see Democrats having much success, especially giving Pelosi’s announcement that she doesn’t have the votes needed in the House to pass the Senate version.

“Speaker Pelosi’s pronouncement that House Democrats don’t support the Senate version of the health care bill, and that it won’t be voted on, is good news for the American people,” said the Aurora Republican. “If the president and Nancy pelosi are finally ready to genuinely engage Republicans and start over on the negotiating process, we’re ready and willing.”

Kjersten Forseth, state director of Change That Works, said her organization is working around the clock to ensure that lawmakers are encouraged to pass sweeping reform. She shrugged off the results of last week’s special election.

“This is about the anger and frustration that seniors, small businesses and working families feel Ń frustration that change, which would make life better, is so difficult,” said Forseth. “That anger needs to be directed at the people who are delaying fundamental change: the insurance companies and special corporate interests.”

Ń Reuters contributed to this story.

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