December, 2009

Health care bill offers juicy concessions to several Democratic senators in exchange for their 'yes' votes
• Obama: Test Vote on Senate Health Bill a 'Big Victory'
• CBO: Bill Won't Reduce Deficits as Much as Estimated

The party-line procedural vote proved Democrats had locked in the margin needed to pass a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health care system.

Senate Democrats close ranks in support of bill, overcoming months of internal division and clearing a path for quick Senate passage.

The Take | Congressional Democrats have to face the voters far sooner than the president.

Obama adviser says Senate bill is not perfect, but needed; McCain vows to "fight until the last vote."

Obama praises early-morning procedural vote in Senate, rails against opponents of reform package.

Legislation passes its most critical Senate test in the pre-dawn hours, overcoming Republicans on a 60-40 vote
• Senate Warns House: Don't Mess With Our Bill
• Neb. Dem Accused of 'Cornhusker Kickback' | VIDEO

A 60-to-40 vote Monday morning in the Senate paved the way for the landmark legislation to be passed by Christmas. The key development in securing the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority was Sen. Ben Nelson's agreement over the weekend to support the bill. Republicans vowed to fight on.

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Buried in the Senate health care package are provisions benefiting specific states and constituencies, inserted by the majority leader to secure lawmakers’ support.

Senate Democrats need 60 votes on three occasions to pass the bill — the first and most critical test is at 1 a.m.
• Senate Warns House: Don't Mess With Our Bill
• Neb. Dem Accused of 'Cornhusker Kickback' | VIDEO

Dubbing them the "Louisiana purchase" and the "Cornhusker kickback," Republicans on Sunday attacked special deals for individual ...

Enmity and acrimony are coursing through a debate with consequences for both sides, as the health care overhaul reaches a crucial vote at 1 a.m. Monday.

Liberal Dems are eager to try to win back items stripped from Senate bill like a government-run insurance plan
• Neb. Dem Accused of 'Cornhusker Kickback' | VIDEO
• CBO: Senate Health Bill Won't Reduce Deficits

Republicans vowed to continue their fight but acknowledged their chances of stopping passage had faded as the Senate neared its crucial procedural vote at 1 a.m. Monday.

Killing the idea of a government-run health insurance plan was crucial for Senate Democrats trying to round up 60 votes for their legislation.

Nebraska Dem used his stand against abortion coverage with taxpayer funds to sell health vote, critics say | VIDEO
• YOU DECIDE: Was Nelson's Vote Bought?
• BE HEARD: Tell Sen. Nelson What You Think

As Dems aim for passage of health care reform, GOP promises to do everything they can to sideline the package
• VIDEO: Obama Praises Senate on Health Care
• YOU DECIDE: What's Top Issue in Health Care Debate?
• Senate Compromise Deepens Abortion Battle

Hoping to square some key differences in the House and Senate reform bills, a business-friendly non-profit organization has come out against health insurance exchanges, at least as they're currently defined in reform legislation.

The Committee for Economic Development, a group of 200 business leaders and university presidents, is actually in favor of health insurance marketplaces, which they say are important for managing costs and increasing access to care. They also say that the exchanges, if improved and expanded, are the best way to force health plans to compete.

Rick Foster, Chief Actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote in a report last Friday that the Senate's proposed plan to cut Medicare in order to pay for health reform could hurt hospitals and nursing homes throughout the next decade. 

According to the report, 20 percent of "institutional medical providers" could become unprofitable within the next 10 years. Foster said that by reducing Medicare payments to facilities in an attempt to foster efficiency, those facilities could in turn drop the program altogether. 

This is definitely bad news for President Obama and Democrats fighting to push through their version of health reform: A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has concluded that the public is losing faith that reform is needed and will produce positive results.

The poll found that 53 percent of Americans expect to see higher costs if current reforms are enacted, and 50 percent of respondents said they preferred the current health system as is. Thirty-seven percent said they felt their quality of care would be better under a reformed system.