Senate Dems offer olive branch to GOP on healthcare reform

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

Several Senate Democrats offered an olive branch to House Republicans, offering to get rid of a controversial measure contained within healthcare reform.

Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson (Neb.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) wrote to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to offer swift Senate passage for stand-alone legislation to do away with a reporting requirement for businesses.

"Now that you have moved past repeal of the Affordable Care Act, we encourage you to work on efforts to improve the law moving forward," the senators wrote in a letter to Boehner, following a House vote on Wednesday to repeal the entirety of President Obama's healthcare bill.

A bill moving through the House — H.R. 4 — would do away with the "1099" provision, which requires businesses to file forms for every purchase they make above the amount of $600 annually. Both Democrats and Republicans have come to view the requirement as costly and burdensome, especially for small businesses.

...

But Republicans are interested in a full repeal of healthcare reform and, in the House, have instructed committees to work on alternative legislation to replace the bill.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/139083-senate-dems-offer-olive-branch-to-gop-on-health-reform

[Name removed]

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[hedgehog]

2. With friends like these......

[Bandit]

21. What don't you like about their proposal?

Just because they are and have been basically republican on most issues and this probably is one of them doesn't mean they are not correct. To have to fill out 1099s for every single Vendor I have is quite an additional burden for both my business and my Vendors..

[ProSense]

3. Bogus headline. They likely wrote to Boehner

because Republicans have been assholes on the issue. Dems have been trying to repeal this provision.

July: House Republicans nix Democrats effort to repeal 1099 requirement

November: 53 Senate Democrats Voted To Repeal 1099 Reporting Requirement From Health Law

[karynnj]

10. I agree with you that this was something that House and Senate

Democrats wanted to eliminate. However, I wonder if it is all that bad to argue that this is something where we feel there can be common ground and ask them to join with us.

It may take a face saving move to get them to move forward.

One thing is clear though, they will likely try to get a Senate vote repealing the entire thing REPEATEDLY - and they have about two years until this Congress ends to get a Senate bill to match with the House one. For many, this is a crusade. I suspect that the longer it is in effect, the less likely they can end it, but they won't stop trying.

[ProSense]

11. Here's something the media should be reporting

Dems Press GOPers To Repeal Their Own Benefits Along With Health Care Law

[karynnj]

13. Exactly, without that the Republicans are asking the country to trade

the HCR bill they have for a pig in a poke. Their election document took 6 or so of the most popular parts of HCR and said they were for them (without mentioning them being in the bill.) We all know that it took months - some in public and a whole lot quietly working with staff to craft the bill that passed. The need to get everything to add up to savings and to work with all the stakeholders was a huge effort.

Where is the comparable Republican effort? Where is anything the CBO could estimate? What were they doing over the last 2 years? They had staff and presumably they had alternative ideas - or at least they said they did. They need to put out more than attacks on our policy. I actually think they have no detailed plan and that they would have dissension in their ranks if they tried to put one together. Just like us, they would have factions with deeply held ideas.

I just wish the country would have taken the threat of repealing the HCR plan more seriously. I also think that the HCR bill is exactly why we need to be very cautious in how we loosen the filibuster. We might need it to preserve important things.

[Name removed]

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[NorthCarolina]

5. The real target of reform is the Medical Loss Ratio. Bet on it. nt

[Mr. Sparkle]

6. They shouldn't waste there time and leave it as it is.

Further down the road they can offer the same amendment for something in return.

[HeroTwins]

7. getting rid of the 1099 requirement is a good idea.

It has left a bad taste in the mouths of thousands of small-business owners who would otherwise be supportive of the Health Care Law

[SoapBox]

8. As a smallish business owner...the 1099 thing needs to go.

[BobbyBoring]

16. A Big Amen!

I REALLY need more fucking paper work:sarcasm:

[bluestateguy]

9. If they can find a way to replace the lost revenue, I would vote for cloture on this

nt

[fatbuckel]

12. Does anyone know how much the repeal of the Affordable Care Act costs.

[bergie321]

15. The CBO

Said it will cost around $230 Billion.
http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/120xx/doc12040/01-06-PPACA_Repeal.pdf

[nyy1998]

14. Agreed with the posts above supporting repeal of 1099, it's a good idea designed poorly

[unkachuck]

17. damn, he's done it again....

....ben nelson's made me want to sing..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxtyAC59AeE

[MisterP]

18. Dems: "We give up the [insert good stuff]." GOP: "And we'll reluctantly give you the mandates.

And you can crow about how you stood up to the GOP's insurer masters."

[Javaman]

19. Why? it was basically mitt romney's health plan anyway.

So what is the repuke plan? get rid of the current health care plan and replace it with a duplicate and call it a repuke plan?

I get really tired of the kabuki charades.

[Imajika]

20. The 1099 provision is awful and needs to go...

How this got in the HCR bill I do not know, but it is universally loathed and needs to be repealed.