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Government
& Public Affairs Update
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Government &
Public Affairs Team
Reginald M. Turner
John
Van Fossen, Practice Group Leader
Lucius A. Vassar
Chris Wagner
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Medicare
Expansion Unlikely to be Included in Final Senate Bill
By Shailagh
Murray and Lori Montgomery
The Washington Post
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Senate Democratic leaders appeared poised Monday night to abandon
efforts to create a government-run insurance safety net in their push
for health-care reform, as they attempted to close ranks around a
bill they hoped would win the backing of all 60 members of their
caucus.
Democratic negotiators had already disappointed liberal lawmakers by
jettisoning a full-fledged public insurance plan a week earlier. Last
night, party leaders conceded that a key portion of the compromise
they crafted to replace the public option -- a proposal allowing
people as young as 55 to buy into Medicare -- also did not have sufficient
support from Democratic moderates to overcome a likely Republican
filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), after consulting with
senior White House officials, rallied his caucus in a closed-door
meeting Monday evening, reminding senators that there was broad
consensus behind most of the provisions in the $848 billion package
and warning them of the consequences of not passing a bill before the
end of the year.
"Democrats are not going to let the American people down,"
he told reporters after the meeting. "I am confident that by
next week, we will be on our way to final passage."
To read the full article, click here.
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If you have any questions concerning these issues,
please contact Chris Wagner at 202.772.0924 or cwagner@clarkhill.com.
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To find out
more about Clark Hill and our Government & Public Affairs
Practice Group, visit clarkhill.com
or call 800.949.3124
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