Senate Finance Committee Bill Wins Bi-Partisan Support
Posted by cloe on October 13, 2009 at 04:07 PM
This afternoon – after months of deliberation and the consideration of hundreds of amendments– the Senate Finance Committee passed its version of health insurance reform legislation.
The bill passed 14 to 9, winning bipartisan support with a yea vote from Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. The Finance committee is the fifth and final committee with jurisdiction over health reform to pass a bill. Though we still have a ways to go (the Senate and House still need to vote and pass final versions of legislation, before the process can go to conference committee, and onto another vote in both houses), the Finance Committee’s action today represents an enormous and critical step forward.
Here’s an excerpt from DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s statement following the vote:
“...I want to commend Chairman Baucus for his leadership and thank all the Democrats on the committee for their tireless work to incorporate the best ideas from both sides of the aisle. Last week, we began to see the fruits of that labor as prominent leaders from outside Washington – including former Bush Administration Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Bill Frist, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent – came out in favor of reform. Senator Snowe’s decision to support the Finance Committee’s legislation, because 'the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time,' brings a renewed sense of momentum to the cause.
“We have been debating health reform for generations. Now, after nearly a year of intense study and deliberation, five Congressional committees have given us a strong framework to keep making progress. There is still much work ahead, and we know insurance industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress will do everything within their power to kill reform and maintain the status quo. But we are closer than ever before to enacting reform that achieves President Obama’s goals of providing more security and stability to people who have insurance, more quality, affordable choices for those who don’t and reining in the high costs of health care for American families, businesses and our government.
“Thanks to President Obama’s strong vision and commitment, and the commitment of like-minded Members of Congress, we are going to deliver health insurance reform to the American people this year. Inaction is not an option.”
Comments (7) «
We currently cannot comment on the AHIP post, so I'll comment here. We all know that the insurance industry will pull out all stops to derail this reform. However, we need to combat their message in the media where millions of Americans are believing their misinformation.
I saw their ad last night and once again almost threw the TV out the window. Then I was even more upset when I considered how many people are accepting their message as fact.
We need to run our own ads to counter this misinformation.
Also, I hope that the public option comes back in conference as this is the one thing that will spur competition and bring down prices.
This process gets frustrating when one considers that the ones fighting this reform the most are the ones that stand to gain the most from it ten to fifteen years out.
Keep it lit,
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--Davidual
I wish I were excited about this health bill, but I'm not. I'm extremely disappointed that nominal Democrats, such as Sen. Baucus, allowed themselves to be bullied by the minority party. The people want a public option; it's clear to everyone but Washington.
Get your act together or get out of the way and let us elect REAL Dems in 2010!
Same little girl, a few years later. She had a nice wade of bills in her piggy bank and she was very proud of the fact that she had saved. She decided to take her stash of cash to the bank and open up a saving account. While peddling her bike past the local homeless shelter, she noticed a young girl sitting out in front crying. She stopped her bike and asked the homeless girl why she was crying and the little girl replied, "my Mommy and Daddy both lost their jobs and because we had no money, the bank came and threw us out of our home. Now we don't have anywhere to go and my mommy needs surgery but we don't have any way to pay for it. The Doctor says she'll die if she doesn't have any insurance". The girl got on her bike and continued to the bank thinking all the while about the girl and her family. She got to the bank, opened her saving account and thought, "the hell with the homeless girl and her dying mother"..they shouldn't have become poor!"
Yep - the little girl with her new bank account is a typical Republican!
My message to every Democratic Senator. Only thing good about the passage of the Fin Comm bill, is that the progress will no longer be held hostage by the likes of Grassley who boasted about how he successfully held up the bill conspiring with a couple of Corporate Democrats.
Now begins the real work. Please make sure that the Public Option is included in the final bill.
Without a Robust Public Option, it is not possible to lower the cost structure with any degree of confidence. No regulation can demand that the Insurance Companies reduce their current premiums from the levels that are bone-crushing for John Q Public. Treasury coffers will continue to deplete as Govt pays out subsidies at these high rates. The pattern of transferring money from taxpayer pockets to Corporate pockets will only grow stronger.
SO PLEASE STAND STRONG FOR PUBLIC OPTION. NO COMPROMISES. NO CLEVER TOOLS DEVISED BY CORPORATE TOOLS - SUCH AS COOPS OR TRIGGERS.
"It shows that present day Democratic values do not reflect the true principles on which American society rests."
But the bottom line is that I'd rather be a Democrat then a dirty Republican whose family values are in the toilet or a no where Libertarian who's just a light weight Republican!
New York Times - Money & Power Segment - “Republican’s Vote Lifts a Health Bill, but Hurdles Remain”, Published: October 13, 2009:
‘…Republican leaders are strongly opposed, saying the bills cost too much, raise taxes, cut Medicare and dangerously expand federal power…Pressure from lobbyists is sure to grow in the coming weeks.’
Do you remember how our party exposed Bush’s political-yes-men because of Bush’s stark inability to lead any justification for the GOP’s actions? Now is the time for our party to expose the GOP’s political-yes-men because of the Republican leader’s inability to make the GOP justify its stark inaction on health care reform.
Does anybody think that the GOP will roll back part of the Bush tax cuts for America’s wealthiest to pay for any health care reform or plan if Republican’s win the Congressional Majority in 2010? NO! So I think the GOP is telling their Republican Elect that ‘any’ plan is going to cost the average taxpayers more money to prepare their constituents for their possible leadership then blaming their rising taxes all on any Democratic social plan.
I am not saying that the Republican Elect do not have any credible complaints or concerns about health care worth listening to by anyone; I am saying their own GOP does not want Republican leaders to listen to anybody or anything else. The GOP’s fraudulent political agenda and the absent Republican leadership following it limits Congresses ability to work together and compromise on anything regarding cost and policy.
I, for one, want any bill to contain protection from the GOP possibly trying to sabotage any efforts after the bill passes, Republican support or no Republican support.
I just wrote my reps, and suggest all do the same.
I believe a strong public option WAS the compromise that took single payer off the table. I also believe that the dems and the president should put one into the bill and when we have an actual bill with which they can say directly to the public that this bill does the following:
insures virtually every American health insurance
probits dropping you when sick or denying based on pre-exisitng conditions
prevents medical costs from bankrupting your family
Etc.
this will be a very difficult piece of legislation to vote against or block
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