Forbidden Donut

Weird that these concerns weren't voiced back in:
1982 — TEFRA: The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act first opened Medicare to HMOs

1986 — COBRA: The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act allowed people who were laid off to keep their health coverage, and stopped hospitals from dumping ER patients unable to pay for their care

1987 — OBRA '87: Added nursing home protection rules to Medicare and Medicaid, created no-fault vaccine injury compensation program

1989 — OBRA '89: Overhauled doctor payment system for Medicare, created new federal agency on research and quality of care

1990 — OBRA '90: Added cancer screenings to Medicare, required providers to notify patients about advance directives and living wills, expanded Medicaid to all kids living below poverty level, required drug companies to provide discounts to Medicaid

1993 — OBRA '93: created federal vaccine funding for all children

1996 — Welfare Reform: Separated Medicaid from welfare

1997 — BBA: The Balanced Budget Act created the state-federal childrens' health program called CHIP

2005 — DRA: The Deficit Reduction Act reduced Medicaid spending, allowed parents of disabled children to buy into Medicaid

It is used whenever the party in power feels like, and the minority party always calls it the nuclear option. What's new today is that the media has decided that it's the perfect time to "educate" the population on obscure senate rules.

The nuclear option is actually different. Each new Senate votes on its own rules and usually it votes to holdover the normal rules that have been around for forever. The nuclear option is voting in a new set of Senate rules that take away the filibuster.

During the 111th Congress, opponents of Democratic legislative initiatives began referring to the budget reconciliation process as the nuclear option.