Senate Committee Advances Health Care Bill
October 14th, 2009The Senate Finance Committee advanced a health care reform bill Tuesday without a public option, but the fight is not over…
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In fact, according to the Washington Post, MSNBC and other news organizations, we have met the enemy and it is the insurance industry.
President Obama and his administration and allies on Congress have waged their fight for a health-care overhaul without a clear opponent, even courting industry executives and interest groups that helped kill reform efforts 15 years ago. But attacks on the leading Democratic reform plan this week by the insurance lobby left little doubt that two of the most powerful institutions involved in the debate — the White House and the nation’s insurance companies — have abandoned any real hope of forging a compromise. What was a tenuous truce has turned quickly into an all-out battle, with both sides ratcheting up the hostilities. As the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved a 10-year, $829 billion bill to remake the health-care system, Obama’s top advisers and the insurers moved into a more intense stage of conflict.
According to West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, by coming out of the closet against the bill, the insurance companies make passage of a public option, government health care, more likely…
Here’s the basic AP story on yesterday’s action in the Senate:
AP: Senate Committee Approves Health Care Plan
As we have reported before, there are enough solidly progressive votes in the House who will not vote for a bill that does not have a public option, and now it looks like the Senate will incorporate the Health Committee’s bill in the full Senate bill. Let the debate commence. The Democrats have the votes to pass historic health care reform legislation. Get ‘er done…
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October 16th, 2009 at 10:16 am
The health professionals and insurance companies have held us hostage at the threat of death long enough. It is time to bring democracy to the world of health care.