Daily Kos: "key movement on the excise tax" but "cone of silence" on the issue of abortion in HCR

[highplainsdem]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/14/825007/-Rangel:-Goal-is-to-Have-Bill-to-CBO-by-Saturday

That's key movement on the excise tax--hitting truly gold-plated plans should have been the object from the beginning, not this blunt tool that will effect not only union members but older people or people who are "geographically disadvantaged" and live where healthcare costs, and thus premiums, are just much higher. That tax should be offset by modifying the Medicare payroll tax that was already in the Senate bill, and it looks like that's what negotiators are considering.

It's good news that they're likely to modify the Cadillac tax in a way that will help all workers.

But this is worrisome:

Notice anything missing here? The big ol' elephant in the room that no one seems to want to talk about? That's right, abortion, and the efforts of Stupak and Nelson to make sure that insurance companies just don't cover it anymore. This feels eerily like a repeat of the "strategy" that we've seen all year--pretend like it's not there and maybe it will go away. Senior House aides say that those negotiations are continuing parallel to others, but the cone of silence on the issue is troubling.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Of course Stupak and Nelson will get to sniff panties.

That's non-negotiable, apparently.