Eye on Washington

These are difficult days for Republicans, with their continued control of Capitol Hill threatened. As Congress reconvenes after the Memorial Day recess, Republican leadership is pulling out all the stops in an effort to create a legislative record that will impress voters in November. One of those efforts, the "Health Week" proclaimed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R, Tenn.) last month, didn't work out as planned. S-1955, the bill introduced by Senator Mike Enzi (R, Wyo.) that would allow small businesses to join so-called association health plans exempt from state health insurance benefit requirements, was defeated by a 55-to-43 vote.