CarSeekBlog

You might think that Sunday night’s passage of the healthcare insurance reform bill wouldn’t have anything to do with the auto industry, and on the surface, you’d be right. Nevertheless, Automotive News reported yesterday that after being essentially noncommittal while the debate raged on over the last year, the auto industry “remains uncertain about the effect of the new health care legislation on the industry.”

Representatives of American Honda Motor Co., General Motors Co., and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) said they’re reviewing the legislation, to see what it might mean to carmakers, dealers, and suppliers.

Greg Martin, a spokesman for GM told the press, “Throughout ongoing policy talks, GM will continue to work constructively to ensure its long-standing priorities of improved health care quality and cost containment are included in the bill’s implementation.”

Edward B. Cohen, Honda’s chief Washington lobbyist, is waiting for the Senate review of the “fix-it” bill that the House passed after the initial vote passed, and stated, “There are a couple of issues that we are not sure how they will look after the Senate acts on the House bill,” he said today.

Meanwhile, current NADA chairman Ed Tonkin, whose organization has been monitoring the healthcare reform legislation via several coalitions with which it is involved, such as the United States Chamber of Commerce, said, “Nobody knows exactly what’s in the bill that was voted on. I know it’s going to be expensive.”

House Democrats voted Sunday night to overhaul the U.S. health care system. In the 219-212 tally, all the House Republicans, and 34 Democrats voted against the bill.

Filed under: Economy, General, Honda by Mel