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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Health Uncluttering the Language Around Health Care Reform

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 2:30 PM

If you're reading dense, confusing coverage today about the possible Health Care Reform vote, coverage that focuses on "self-executing rules" or "deem and pass proposals" and their constitutional validity, I invite you to read TPM's simple, reader-friendly breakdown of what is actually being proposed:

There are two bills. The senate's original bill and the changes to that bill the House has now negotiated with the Senate. Normally, this is all hashed out in a conference committee. And it's all voted on in a single vote. In this case, that's not possible because of the continuing Republican filibuster in the Senate. So the House is considering taking both bills, consolidating them into a single vote, up or down. The old fashioned way. This isn't 'not having a vote'. And this has been done repeatedly before.

(And if you, like me, are experiencing a renewed edginess about the House's potential vote this week, I suggest you read this, too—about how Republican desperation is showing and Dems are seeing increased support in the polls—and hope that lawmakers will finally have the backbone to successfully orchestrate this mess.)

Comments (8) RSS

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Too bad they're finding their backbone just in time to push a watered-down bill that seems to have largely been written by insurance industry lobbyists.

Posted by Proteus on March 16, 2010 at 2:53 PM

The bottom line is that Republicans are hopping mad and will throw a tantrum in any way they can to stop this bill. 60 Senators--representing at the time 64% of Americans--voted in favor of this. The Republicans know that this is the Gettysburg of the Obama presidency. If the Democrats lose this, they lose the war for the next 20 years. If the Democrats win, they will move on to financial reform, immigration reform, and the other issues on which they campaigned.

@1: If this bill is so favored by insurance companies, why are they spending a fortune to have it defeated?

AHIP solicited between $10 million and $20 million from six large insurers—Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, and UnitedHealth Group—that was funneled to the Chamber of Commerce to underwrite television ads opposing reform by two business coalitions set up by the Chamber.

Posted by kk in seattle on March 16, 2010 at 3:52 PM

Pass this watered-down version and fix it later. I want them to shut the repubs up about this and move on to financial reform already. You get those two things through, the will keep their majorities.

Posted by The Amazing Jim

on March 16, 2010 at 4:03 PM

The only good thing you can do with a Republicant is strap them to a nuke and drop them on Riyadh.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on March 16, 2010 at 4:17 PM

Most polls show that most Americans are against this bill. It's not just Repubicans.

Posted by raindrop on March 16, 2010 at 4:23 PM

Most polls show people who answer polls are usually retired white men with landlines.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on March 16, 2010 at 4:50 PM

Most people who discount poll results are the first ones to point to them if it is in their favor.

Posted by raindrop on March 16, 2010 at 5:14 PM

Those who oppose it are split between those who thinks it goes too far and those who think it doesn't go far enough. Which means they probably got it just about right (for now).

Posted by kk in seattle on March 16, 2010 at 5:36 PM