Oct 13 2009
Health Care bill passes Senate Finance Committee… What’s next?
A reform of the U.S. health care system took a crucial step closer to becoming a reality Tuesday after the Senate Finance Committee approved a 10-year, $829 billion plan. The bill even gained its first Republican supporter after Olympia Snowe chose to once again break rank and vote for a Democrat-sponsored bill.
“When history calls, history calls,” said Maine’s Olympia Snowe on her decision to break rank.
The Finance Committee was the last of five House and Senate panels that had jurisdiction on the issue. So what happens next with reform? News Today takes a look at what to expect from all of the major parties involved.
. . .
President Barack Obama
Obama, perhaps trying to learn from the Clinton’s mistakes, has left most of the bill-writing process to the legislature. However as the bill begins to make its final push the president will have a crucial role to play in the days ahead.
Expect to see an even larger dose of Obama on the television, internet and radio in the days ahead as he attempts to rally public support for reform. Behind the scenes you can also expect Obama and members of his administration to continue to hold numerous meetings with on-the-fence lawmakers.
Obama had one such meeting Tuesday afternoon with Sen. Evan Bayh, a moderate democrat whose vote could be crucial to a reform bill passing.
. . .
In the Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid will now be charged with the unenviable task of merging the Finance Committee bill with a more liberal version passed by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. How well Reid is able to do this will determine if a health care reform bill can attain the 60 votes needed to stop a Republican filibuster.
One of the key differences Reid must overcome while combining the bills is the issue of a public option. The Finance bill does not include a public plan, while the health committee’s bill does.
. . .
In the House
House Democratic leaders will be walking a very thin line as they work to combine one of the seperate bills approved by committees over the summer. For many moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats, support of a bill could cost them their jobs. Democratic lawmakers have also received backfire from liberal supporters who argue that the proposed bills don’t go far enough to achieve real reform.
The health overhaul bill in the House will likely not grab a single House Republican vote and Pelosi can afford to lose 38 Democrats and still grab a victory.
Sources:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28256.html#atssh-digg
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul;_ylt=AqpV7N5Y0xq8jtVFQJ9JI5eMwfIE;_ylu=X3oDMTJxNzI1OGwzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMDE0L3VzX2hlYWx0aF9jYXJlX292ZXJoYXVsBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2hlYWx0aGJpbGxjbA–
We are lucky. The taxpayers get a “mandate” that forces everyone to purchase insurance. The CBO has informed us that the bill does not cover everyone (wasn’t that the entire purpose?). Oh, and Obama and the Debt-o-crats keep telling us that it is deficit neutral despite the CBO numbers.
Can’t wait to see the final bill. If these Jackasses will put it online before their vote. It was never about choice, its always been about bigger government control.
If public option isn’t included…then it’s not an option.
$800+ billion dollars! What the hell are they spending that on?!
Thanks for writing an article based on obvious research of the facts with very little if any opinion. It’s a breath of fresh air to read a political article not based on fear and/or hate.