Daily Pulse: All Eyes on the Senate Finance Committee

jackalope · Oct 13, 2009

October 13, 2009
Daily Pulse: All Eyes on the Senate Finance Committee

The Senate Finance Committee will vote today on its version of the health care reform bill. The action starts at 10 a.m. when senators question CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf before voting.

Washington Post: "The finance panel's vote marks a watershed in the quest to overhaul the country's health-care system. Not since Theodore Roosevelt proposed universal health care during the 1912 presidential campaign has any such bill come this far. "

Republicans continue to play hardball, according to The Hill, telling Sen. Olympia Snowe (M-ME) they will deny her a shot at becoming the ranking Republican on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee if she backs the bill. A Senate Democrat on the panel "said Republicans on the panel are threatening to vote against Snowe, who is in line for the senior GOP post that is about to come open." Meanwhile, Democrats are moving ahead as if they have no GOP support and "have already begun their own internal negotiations aimed at reconciling the various measures passed by House and Senate committees. As part of that exercise, lawmakers are reviving ideas that had been discarded, including a new approach to a government insurance plan that appears to be gaining support with party moderates."

Daily Pulse: All Eyes on the Senate Finance Committee -- Political Wire

Is today important? I just view it as finally we may be done with the damn Senate Finance Committee and the real work of hammering out a final bill can begin. Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention. There sure seems to be alot of words on the SFC vote today.

Goobieman · Oct 13, 2009

Washington Post: "The finance panel's vote marks a watershed in the quest to overhaul the country's health-care system. Not since Theodore Roosevelt proposed universal health care during the 1912 presidential campaign has any such bill come this far. "

Um..... Hillarycare?

The Clinton health care plan was a 1993 healthcare reform package proposed by the administration of President Bill Clinton and closely associated with the chair of the task force devising the plan, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Bill Clinton had campaigned heavily on health care in the 1992 U.S. presidential election. The task force was created in January 1993, but its own processes were somewhat controversial and drew litigation. Its goal was to come up with a comprehensive plan to provide universal health care for all Americans, which was to be a cornerstone of the administration's first-term agenda.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_health_care_plan_of_1993]Clinton health care plan of 1993 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Now, the question is:
Did Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery not remmeber this, or did they deliberatly forget about it?

jackalope · Oct 13, 2009

Olympia's voting yes on the Baucus bill in committee, just heard on the news. But she said that doesn't mean she'll support the final bill, depends on what happens when it merges with the HELP committee's bill.

This beast is getting out of committee!

jackalope · Oct 13, 2009

Goobieman said:
Um..... Hillarycare?

Clinton health care plan of 1993 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now, the question is:
Did Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery not remmeber this, or did they deliberatly forget about it?

I don't know what you're talking about. In the history of health care reform, first started in 1912, no health care legislation has made it this far. The authors are quite correct.

reefedjib · Oct 13, 2009

Is there a summary of what is in the bill?

jackalope · Oct 13, 2009

reefedjib said:
Is there a summary of what is in the bill?

yeeessss ... somewhere. There's a CBO summary, and I've seen more than a few point by point comparisons with the various other bills, I just can't remember where.

jackalope · Oct 13, 2009

I like Olympia's statement: "When history calls, history calls"

She also touted the bi-partisan reform measures

Think Progress Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe to vote for Senate Finance health bill: ‘When history calls, history calls.’

Crunch · Oct 13, 2009

It's a sad day for America.

The Senate Finance Committee approved its version of health-care reform by a 14-9 vote Tuesday afternoon, clearing the way for it to merged with another committee’s bill for a vote by the full Senate.

Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine was the only Republican to vote for the legislation. She did so with reservations, however, and said Democrats shouldn’t count on her vote if the bill is changed significantly before it comes to the floor.

Senate Finance Committee OKs a health bill - Charlotte Business Journal: