VitalSigns... by iMedExchange: JustinC: December 2009 Archives

Merry Christmas or Bah Humbug

By JustinC on December 25, 2009 7:51 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes

On Christmas Eve, the health care reform bill passed by a vote of 60 - 39. Coverage from The Hill is here. Next up - the House and Senate negotiators will work in January to merge the 2 versions of the bill. Coverage from the Wall Street Journal, Senate, House to Haggle Over Differences is here.

The most highly debated issue still pending, is that of abortion. Coverage of the abortion issue from Time is here. The GOP is pushing, and many are discussing, the issue of whether its even legal for the federal government to require people to have health insurance. Chicago Sun Times coverage is here.

The ongoing political effects of the bill and debate are being discussed, in terms of how this will affect party relations and strategy.

Politico's coverage, Parties Risk It All on Health Care Reform is here.

Specifically targeting consumers, Kaiser Health News has published a guide, The House, Senate and You: A New Guide to Health Care Reform, which can be found here.

Filibuster ended - onto final vote

By JustinC on December 23, 2009 2:46 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes

A 60-39 vote has just ended the Republican's filibuster. The filibuster was the last stop for the health care reform bill before it's voted on. Recent procedural decisions - such as starting the debate and ending the filibuster - have required 60 votes, but passing the bill requires a simple majority. The final vote is scheduled for tomorrow, Christmas Eve day, at 7am. It has been 114 years since a vote was held on Christmas Eve.

"Away from Capitol Hill, special deals on Medicaid obtained by some Democrats - notably Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who provided the crucial 60th vote - continued to provoke grumbling. Under the Senate bill the federal government will pay the entire cost of an expansion of Medicaid in Nebraska, unlike other states, which will have to start picking up a portion of the tab themselves after several years."

You can read the coverage from the Associated Press here.

Senators Up at 1am; Vote Passed

By JustinC on December 21, 2009 8:29 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes

Despite a dramatic few weeks, democrats have advanced their healthcare bill with a clean party-line vote of 60-40. The American Hospital Association has endorsed the bill, but the AMA has yet to officially declare their support for this version. Politico reports...

The Democratic Party's decades-long push to remake the U.S. health care system cleared a major hurdle early Monday morning, with the Senate voting to advance a massive $871 billion bill to extend coverage to nearly all Americans and tighten regulations on private insurers...

In the coming negotiations, the House will almost certainly be forced to give up the government-run insurance plan that is part of its bill. The idea failed in the upper chamber after centrists including Connecticut independent Joseph Lieberman drew a line in the sand against it.

The final bill is also likely to embrace a version of the Senate's proposed tax on high-value insurance plans, rather than add a surtax on the wealthy, as the House wanted.

Read Politico's coverage here, and the Wall Street Journal article here.

Christmas + Health Care Reform Humor

By JustinC on December 18, 2009 7:38 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes

From Kaiser Health...

Hurdles for democrats

By JustinC on December 14, 2009 9:37 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes

Over the last few days, Democrats have faced more challenges in getting the health care bill passed. Politico says:

Democrats must work out compromises on long-standing problems like the public option and abortion while dealing with more recent intraparty spats, like whether to allow consumers to buy Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs from other countries, an issue that stalled last week and remains stuck on the Senate floor...

...Most insiders agree that Democrats have until Thursday to work out their differences if they want to pass a bill by Dec. 23. It will take at least five or six days after Democrats move to end debate before they can vote on the bill. Democrats expect to begin the endgame early this week and still sound optimistic that they can get it done.

Also an issue is that Senator Lieberman won't vote for the bill with the Medicare expansion included. The NY Times coverage is here and the Wall Street Journal coverage is here.

Abortion amendment filed

By JustinC on December 7, 2009 1:55 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes

Politico reports that Senators Nelson and Hatch just filed their amendment on federal funding for abortion. The amendment would prevent federal funds for being used for abortion. Politico has a brief summary, as well as the full text of the amendment. It's noted that many expect this amendment to fail. It will be debated tomorrow.

JustinC: December 2009 Archives

Merry Christmas or Bah Humbug

Filibuster ended - onto final vote

Senators Up at 1am; Vote Passed

Christmas + Health Care Reform Humor

Hurdles for democrats

Abortion amendment filed

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