Shortly after 2 a.m. this morning, the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up debate on the America’s Healthy Future Act and sent the bill back to committee staffers to put into final form and to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring in anticipation of a committee vote sometime next week. Notably, the bill does not include the highly controversial government-run public option insurance plan that has caused rifts between Republicans and Democrats and within the Democrat party. That did not, however, stop the White House from praising Finance for a two week debate in which they considered and voted on hundreds of the 564 amendments filed to the bill.
Thanks to the unyielding commitment of Senator Baucus and members of the Senate Finance Committee, we have reached another milestone in our effort to pass health insurance reform. Over the past two weeks, the Committee has engaged in long hours of thoughtful deliberation and vigorous debate. They have considered hundreds of amendments, and incorporated many of the best ideas from both parties. And they have shown a spirit of civility, a seriousness of purpose, and a willingness to compromise that embodies our democratic process at its very best. (President Barack Obama in a statement released by the White House.)
Barring any unforeseen complications in CBO scoring, the bill should easily make its way out of committee as Democrats hold a 13-10 advantage over Republicans. From there things become a bit more complicated as the Senate Budget Committee, led by Democrat Kent Conrad must merge the Finance bill with that of the late Ted Kennedy’s HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee before a final bill can be debated and voted on by the full Senate.
The Budget Committee promises to be the next major battle ground as liberal Democrats look to force through a bill that is centered on a public option. Interestingly, it is Conrad who will likely lead the fight against the public option in hopes of protecting the cooperatives scheme currently proposed by the Finance bill.
Should the Budget bill include a public option - and make it out of committee by October 15th, look for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to invoke the nuclear option of budget reconciliation as that is seemingly the only way Democrats can limit debate and garner enough votes to pass a public option bill to conference with Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats. Of course, any Senate floor debate will provide Republican Olympia Snowe the opportunity to introduce her trigger amendment which could delay implementation of a public option until private insurance companies have been given an opportunity to “clean up their acts” - something Republicans might be willing to support if forced into a corner.
All in all, it looks like the health care reform debate has only just begun to heat up on Capitol Hill.
Tags: America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, Barack Obama, budget reconciliation, cooperatives, Harry Reid, HELP Committee, Kent Conrad, Nancy Pelosi, Olympia Snowe, public-option, Senate Budget Committee, Senate Finance Committee, Ted Kennedy, trigger
The left are huge hypocrtics when it comes to their fake demonization of private insurance. In fact, they want to give them millions of new customers thru their Individual Mandate and a national Monoploy markert thru theres
Contrary to popular opinion in the media, the Individual Mandate, not the so-called public option is the key to stopping Obamcare in its tracks. Stop the Individual Mandate and the whole bill will unravel for lack of funding and mandatory participation in the scheme!
This is a very dangerous period because Nationalization will still occur even without an overt government run insurance plan like this “public option” provision everyone keeps fixating on - Wyden/Bennett and the Bacus bill are prime examples of this.
Individual Mandates to buy private insurance sound like a “free market” solution and “individual responsibility” but in this context they are not – they are simply a front for a government run system. Many conservatives can be easily fooled by this faux “private” front (Mitt Romney was) .
Here are the core elements what will be contained in the “health care reform compromise” after the so-called “public option” is in all likelihood dropped:
(a) Federal Regulation aka HEALTH CZAR/DEATH PANELS
(b) Employer/Individual Mandates aka NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE
(c) Government Subsidies aka MIDDLE CLASS MEDICAL WELFARE
With the Federal Government setting the rules, forcing everyone to participate, and is paying the bills for most of the middle class through subsidies how is this anything other than Nationalization?
Obamacare or any other plan that constains Individual Mandates is a corrupt bargain that benefits DC Politicians, Big Union, Big Industry, and Big/Nanny Government. The losers that get stuck with the bill and socialist medicine are the young, the elderly, the taxpayer and small business.
Its amazaing how stupid the left really is - they dont even know when they are being scammed lol!
Well, the crooks in DC snuck one over on us - I didnt even hear it talked about on tv or Radio yesterday
This whole Olypmic BS was just a ruse to distract attention from this group of crooks in congress stealing our Liberty!
here is the link to about the only story I could find on what happened:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…57.html?hpid=topnews
This tells us the timeline we have for action:
“The panel is expected to reconvene for a final vote Tuesday or Wednesday, giving congressional budget analysts time to determine whether the bill meets Obama’s twin goals of significantly expanding coverage to the uninsured and not increasing the federal budget deficit. Reid then plans to merge the package with a measure approved by the Senate health committee and begin debate before the full Senate shortly after Columbus Day. The House also expects to begin action in mid-October. ”
Thhe story indicates that Lincon of AR and Snowe are still opposed to the final package and may vote no in commitee - the two need to be key targets
Bascally, we need to set off a Hurricane of Protest to Congress - email, fax & Call now!