Final Senate vote on health care set for Thursday morning

[grantcart]

Source: CNN

The vote had been expected on the night of Christmas Eve due to Republican delay tactics to hold off the measure. Reid has insisted it be passed before Christmas.

Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, decided on a timetable to vote on the health care bill and an extension of the federal debt limit on Thursday morning.

First, the Senate will hold another procedural vote on the health care bill Wednesday to set up the final vote.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/22/health.care.senate.vote/index.html

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Today's procedural vote passed 60-39

[fascisthunter]

1. what a wonderful Christmas Gift

for private Insurers. We should wrap Americans up in wrapping paper with a bow on each head and state, "Merry Christmas private Insurance Industry! As you ordered...!"

[Aramchek]

2. it's actually a gift to the millions with pre-existing conditions

you must have insurance, eh?

[fascisthunter]

4. Oh I see... I don't really care, because if I did, I'd eat that shit sandwich

... it's massive giveaway to the insurance companies and nothing you try to say will change that that FACT. And spare me the guilt trip, because if you think that should make one feel guilt, then how do you deal with the fact that millions still WON'T have insurance after this piece of shit gets passed? Does that mean you don't care?

Also, if Obama really gave a shit, there'd be a public option, a robust one for EVERY citizen to chose from. So I guess he doesn't really care either...

[Aramchek]

6. people will die if you get your wish of killing the bill. How can you rationalize that?

oh, wait. I really shouldn't expect rationality to come into play when it comes to Obama Haters.

[fascisthunter]

9. you should ask Obama how he and you rationalize death as well

How's Iraq or Afghanistan going.... I hear there is a surge!


This Bill is not about saving lives... it's about $$$$. You accepted that, I can't.

[Aramchek]

13. Giving people with pre-existing conditions access to insurance will save thousands of lives

but I guess that doesn't matter to you

[bonnieS]

14. As a person with a pre-existing condiition I disagree

First of all it goes into effect in 2014, by which time many of us will be dead. Secondly, when it finally goes into effect the companies will be able to charge people like me three times the rates. So it will not be affordable. Thirdly, since the companies will be allowed to operate out of States with the least regulation, there is no regulation on what they will have to cover. So I am not enthralled.

[WhiteTara]

16. see you in March at the march?

in Washington? Let's make it massive...a million or more.

[dflprincess]

26. And what are you telling the 15 million who still won't even get "coverage"

with bill. For that matter, not all those with preexisting conditions have incomes that will allow them to get Medicaid or any subsidies. What are you going to tell them when they're being forced to pay for insurance that has deductibles and copays that are so high they still can't access care?

Not everyone, maybe not even most of us, who have what the insurance companies class a "preexisting condition" have a chronic condition. Some of us just had one test come back weird that required follow up and that's enough for the insurance companies decide we are at risk eternally - even if things have gone back to normal and stayed that way.

[kirby]

23. Just gotta wait until X-mas 2014 n/t

[PoliticalOne65]

27. Tax on insurance

For those of us that have insurance, we will pay a tax somewhat like a sales tax. If I pay $300.00 dollars a month for health insurance. a 10% tax pushes it to $330.00 a month. In a years time that is $360.00 extra dollars out of my wallet. I know that the money will go to those that are uninsured, but Why don't the insurance company's take more of this burden instead of me, and my family.

[BP2]

3. POP! goes the corks over at

Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson.

Dom Pérignon, vintage 2000, is only $150 per bottle. So I'm sure the fat cats will be slurping it down.

The Senators who pass this crappy bill will likely get a case of the bubbly for their contribution to Big Pharma's success.

[fascisthunter]

5. I'm sure of it....

[truthisfreedom]

7. It's a first step. I believe that Obama's certain it can be fixed later.

There will be plenty of negative press about the bad points, and then it will be revisited and fixed.

[Faygo Kid]

8. I agree. If the bill dies now, so does any chance at health care reform.

Get it passed, work on getting it fixed. All the anger here might occasionally be directed at the Republicans for their relentless behavior, but then that's the DU I used to know.

That 60 vote supermajority needs fixing.

[hopein08]

10. Why fix it later? Why not have something that doesn't need fixing?

I'd much prefer that.

[truthisfreedom]

12. We need the win now. We need to demoralize these ridiculous 'pubes.

Winning now with this bill means we can easily fix it later. Waiting means we may lose.

[Abq_Sarah]

19. Since public sentiment

Is pretty much running against the bill, passing it now may well cost us seats in 2010. And at that point, there is no guarantee we'll have the numbers to "fix" it.

[SandWalker1984]

24. Clinton promised to fix NAFTA after 6 months - how's that working?

Hint - it didn't happen, and neither will fixing this giveaway to the health insurance industry.

What makes you think that once these corporations get even more money, and therefore can hire even more lobbyists, to buy off even more senators -- that anything that takes away money from their profits will get fixed?????

You might as well believe in the tooth fairy and Easter bunny, you have a better chance of THAT wish coming true than fixing this bill once passed.

[truthisfreedom]

11. Ok, here's the good points (lots of them):

The Senate health reform bill will:

-- Extend coverage to 31 million Americans, the largest expansion of coverage since the creation of Medicare.

-- Ensure that you can choose your own doctor.

-- Finally stop insurance companies from denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition.

-- Make sure you will never be charged exorbitant premiums on the basis of your age, health, or gender.

-- Guarantee you will never lose your coverage just because you get sick or injured.

-- Protect you from outrageous out-of-pocket expenditures by establishing lifetime and annual limits.

-- Allow young people to stay on their parents' coverage until they're 26 years old.

-- Create health insurance exchanges, or "one-stop shops" for individuals purchasing insurance, where insurance companies are forced to compete for new customers.

-- Lower premiums for families, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office -- especially for struggling folks who will receive subsidies.

-- Help small businesses provide health care coverage to their employees with tax credits and by allowing them to purchase coverage through the exchanges.

-- Improve and strengthen Medicare by eliminating waste and fraud (without cutting basic benefits), beginning to close the Medicare Part D donut hole, and extending the life of the Medicare trust fund.

-- Create jobs by reining in costs -- fostering competition, reducing waste and inefficiency, and starting to reward doctors and hospitals for quality, not quantity, of care.

-- Cut the deficit by over $130 billion in the next 10 years.

[groundloop]

17. Another item in the senate bill ...

Assures consumers the right to appeal to an independant panel. Right now if you're claim is denied you can appeal, but the insurance company rules on the appeal.

I've read some pundits who seem to know what they're talking about who claim that after this bill is merged with the House bill and becomes law that the senate will revisit single payer and/or medicare expansion using the budget reconcilliation process (only requires 50 vote plus VP Biden). Oh how I pray they're right.

[SandWalker1984]

25. Mandates to buy private insurance is NOT extending coverage!

Mandates to require people buy private, for profit insurance from the corporations that are already underperforming is not providing them affordable, comprehensive coverage!

A lot of people will still not be able to afford the insurance OR in order to get premiums they can afford, get high deductible insurance that they CANNOT AFFORD TO USE.

This is the Massachusetts insurance program on steroids and it's not working in Massachusetts -- they now have huge budget deficits because THEY FAILED TO CONTROL THE COSTS WHEN THEY MANDATED THE COVERAGE.

That is what will happen on a national level if the Senate's version gets passed.

[old mark]

15. I heard the other night that the GOP Senators are really hurting

because they are losing money by staying in DC when they should have been home fundraising. They complained at a luncheon meeting they were losing campaign contributions by staying in session to oppose the Democrats in continous session for the last few weeks, and their leaders told them to sucl it up and look like they were really fighting, at least til christmas. They planned to stay till the eveing, but bad weather predictions for Thursday threatened to keep them in DC over christmas and they all wanted to get home to make money.

Would it be moral to pray for their planes to crash?
Probably not, I guess.....
mark

[groundloop]

18. Not crash, but maybe held at the gate for 10 hours in a blizzard

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[groundloop]

20. Reid should'a made them stay...

I mean, since when does the party with a significant minority set agenda? They had all said they wanted to stay until the evening of Christmas eve, Reid should have held them to it.

[old mark]

29. Their Leader said they would stay till Valentine's day if necessary...

Guess it wasn't.


mark

[Politicub]

21. This is great news

The reforms will help many people. I'm hoping that some form of a public option gets included from the bill that emerges from the conference committee. It amazes me that we have made it this far with anything reforming the insurance industry. And I'm of the mind that this bill can be amended, improved or expanded as time goes on. To paraphrase Paul Begala, progressive politics is a movement, not a monument.

[SandWalker1984]

22. They lie - this bill is NOT reform, it's a giveaway to insurance corporations.

Senators keep telling us that 30 million more Americans will receive health care coverage under their bill.

They lie.

Mandates do NOT equal AFFORDABLE health insurance, especially when the Senate bill will allow the insurance companies to charge more for people over 50 & those with pre-existing conditions, or if a later Senate (one perhaps with more Republicans?) decides to reduce or delete the government subsidies to help those Americans pay for this private, overpriced insurance coverage. Remember, Republicans cut SCHIP funds for children's insurance.

The Senate has also told us that private insurers won't be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

They lie.

They left holes in the bill for the insurance corporations to get around this. Private insurers will still be denying claims for any reason they can conjure even when you've paid your premiums. You'll go for treatment, then a couple of weeks later you'll wind up getting the letters telling you that your claim has been denied for one reason or another. They're not denying you insurance, but they are denying you CARE. There's nothing in this bill to stop private insurers denying claims by any means necessary, only restrictions on dropping those with pre-existing conditions. Tell me, if you can't use your insurance -- what good is it?

With millions more "victims" in the insurance pool, the insurance companies will no doubt be hiring more "claim denial specialists" to beef up their system. These people are going to prevent pay-outs for medical treatment as much they can.

Senators keep hyping the mantra to the media, which gets repeated here on this site: it's not a perfect bill, but we can fix the issues later.

They lie.

What makes you believe that an insurance industry that already has enough money and power to buy off an important majority of the Senate right now will not increase their power and influence when they have all that new money from all those new mandated customers? This bill is set up so these corporations will gain even more power, not less, and the senators know it.

The main reason we are having so many issues with private corporations providing our health insurance coverage is because THEIR SOLE EXISTENCE IS TO MAKE PROFITS, THEREFORE DENY YOUR CLAIMS. The Senators know this, yet choose to ignore it because they are receiving too much money from the companies they are supposed to be regulating.

Arianna Huffington wrote an article about the senate health care bill, in which she calls this bill by it's true name:

Leave No Special Interest Behind.

Arianna is right.