Divided Senate opens health care debate
By ConnPolitics.tv Editor on Nov 30, 2009 | In News, Washington D.C. - Congress | 17 feedbacks »
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press Writer
Washington (AP) – With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on President Barack Obama’s signature domestic issue, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the health care reform legislation to advance is coming apart.
While majority Democrats will need 60 votes again to finish, some in the party say they’ll jump ship from the bill without tighter restrictions on abortion coverage. Others say they’ll go unless a government plan to compete with private insurance companies gets tossed. Such concessions would enrage liberals, the party’s heart and soul.
There’s no clear course for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to steer legislation through Congress to the president’s desk. You can’t make history unless you reach 60 votes, and don’t count on Republicans helping him.
But Reid is determined to avoid being remembered as another Democrat who tried and failed to make health care access for the middle class a part of America’s social safety net.
“Generation after generation has called on us to fix this broken system,” he said at a recent Capitol Hill rally. “We’re now closer than ever to getting it done.”
His bill includes $848 billion over 10 years to gradually expand coverage to most of those now uninsured. It would ban onerous insurance industry practices such as denying coverage or charging higher premiums because of someone’s poor health. Those who now have the hardest time getting coverage – the self-employed and small businesses – could buy a policy in a new insurance market, with government subsidies for many. Older people would get better prescription coverage.
Most people covered by big employers would gain more protections without major changes. One exception would be those with high-cost insurance plans, whose premiums could rise as a result of a tax on insurers issue the coverage.
The public is ambivalent about the Democrats’ legislation. While 58 percent want elected officials to tackle health care now, about half of those supporters say they don’t like what they’re hearing about the plans, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
The Senate debate risks alienating more people because much of the discussion probably will revolve around divisive issues that preoccupy lawmakers.
“A large portion of the debate will be spent on issues that aren’t important to the workability of health reform,” said Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change.
The debate should start off modestly, with each side offering one amendment. No votes are scheduled Monday.
Reid wants to finish by Christmas; he may not get to.
Of the many issues senators have to weigh, abortion funding and the option of a government insurance plan promise to be the most difficult.
On abortion, no compromise seems possible. On the public plan, a deal may yet be had.
——
On the Net:
Kaiser Family Foundation
Comparing the House and Senate bills
17 comments
"Dump Dodd"
This bill is about power and control of our lives and our liberty ! Kill it !
I think many improvemnets can be made to our present healthcare system without the huge price tag and new taxes.......
http://www.counterpunch.org/cooke11272009.html
Less laws, less restrictions would bring down costs.
If your employer dumps you into a public health care program to save money, you certainly won't gain more protections! You won't have much choice in the matter and you'll have the government bureaucrats deciding what tests and procedures they're going to pay for...no one to argue on your behalf . . . government word will be final!
Ask your doctor if he/she will keep you as a patient if you have this government plan. He/she will probably tell you that it depends on what they will be paid for their services. Most likely, you'll be paying a lot out of pocket to keep your present doctor and eventually paying much higher taxes to pay for others health care.
How can they abolish something that doesn't exist in this country? You make less sense each day.
Any dream can be abolished by the dreamer. The dreamer just has to think about something else. . . like a better plan than the one proposed.
If we could only think of another way to raise the money to pay for it . . . other than taxation I mean. . . hmmm!
So lets copy the failed single payer system Canada and Great Britain have.....
Thats liberal logic for yah......
Yes, but when the plan is not going to be implemented and has not been implemented, it cannot be abolished. The better plan is single-payer.
'If we could only think of another way to raise the money to pay for it . . . other than taxation I mean. . . hmmm!'
Stop paying for unnecessary wars, reduce federal spending on the military, opt out of 'free trade' agreements.
'So lets copy the failed single payer system Canada and Great Britain have.....'
You mean the Canadian system that allows all citizens coverage? The same system that was created by The Greatest Canadian? Oh yeah. THAT system. Oogey boogy!
Just take names of who votes for it. Then in Nov. 2010 vote them out. (Dodds gone for many other things like we speak english in the US & bank scandal)
We have to get these wackos out of there.
Hey democrats it's the cost of what they charge for health care that's the problem. Control that and insurance will come down. (2+2=4)
All folk need to be insured for health care.
Insured they will get health care.
Like life insurance you pay and bury folk everyday you pay,same with health insurance you pay for folk to be treated.you die once and may never need health treatment but the net is there securly in place,like life insurance.
(Health care) needs no reform.
Your insulting the doctors.You want them happy when they walk up to yu with their treatment.
(Insurance for health care) so every u.s.citizen is treated as an equal will make illegals register and they will be paying taxes to help with the health-net.
~Peace Glenna~
Comment feed for this postLeave a comment
| « Fedele to formally announce bid Wednesday | Health care reform highlighted » |
