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Senate Finance Committee to Vote on
Health Care Reform Legislation on Tuesday
According to a
Senate Democratic Leadership aide, the Senate Finance Committee is
expected to vote on Chairman Max Baucus' (D-MT) health care reform
bill on Tuesday, October 13.
Baucus unveiled the legislation last week under pressure from
Democratic Leadership to produce a bill. Baucus was a part of a
six-member group of Finance Committee Senators, which included
Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Olympia Snowe
(R-ME), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Kent Conrad
(D-ND).
The group had met for weeks on end to come up with a bill that both
Democrats and Republicans could support. However, with scant
details available about the negotiations and increasing pressure on
Democrats from liberal organizations for what they perceived to be
unnecessary capitulations to gain Republican support that was by no
means guaranteed, Baucus announced the bill at a news conference
alone and without the support of any Republicans or Democrats,
including members of the "Gang of Six" that had worked on
the bill since day one.
Instead, the Republicans that Baucus worked so hard to win over
thanked the Chairman for his efforts but said they could not support
the legislation. Meanwhile, a number of Democrats were openly
critical of the plan that did not include a public insurance option.
However, the bill has new life in the wake of the Congressional
Budget Office's (CBO) score (assessing
the long-term budget impact) of the bill, which revealed that Baucus'
bill is the only proposal in Congress that would reduce the federal
deficit over the next 10 years (by $81 billion). The bill would
initially cost $829 billion and expand coverage to 94% of all
Americans.
Nevertheless, the Senate won't vote on the Baucus bill, but rather a
combination between that bill and the bill passed by the Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which was chaired
recently by the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is already in the process of combining
elements of the Baucus bill with the HELP Committee bill,
but has yet to commit to the inclusion of a public option.
Instead, Congress may give States the option of creating a
government-backed public option.
In an interesting dichotomy, Congressional Republicans are
solidifying their opposition to the bill and calling for both parties
to scrap the process and start over while former Congressional
Republican Leaders and Republicans outside of Washington are urging
their colleagues to be proactive and work within the current
framework to address an issue that doesn't seem likely to go
away. Republicans that have urged moving forward on health care
reform include, Former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Bill Frist, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Louisiana Governor and potential 2012 Presidential Candidate Bobby Jindal, and Former Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson.
The Left is also gearing up for a battle on a conference report that
may not include a public option. The 3-Committee House
bill includes a public option and is the most expensive proposal
at a cost of $1.3 trillion up front. House Democrats need 218
votes for approval and according to Congressional Progressive Caucus
Chair Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), a "robust" public option
currently has the support of 208 Democrats, a number at odds with
House Majority Whip James Clyburn's (D-SC) office's running count.
Once the Senate Finance Committee approves its bill, the Senate will
be able to debate health care reform legislation on the Senate floor.
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