Senator Kent Conrad: Senate Health Care Bill Is Basically The Final Version

[Better Believe It]

Conrad: Senate Health Care Bill Is Basically The Final Version
By Sam Stein
December 20, 2009

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) asserted on Sunday that the Senate's version of health care legislation will, by and large, be the final product, even though negotiators in the House and Senate have yet to merge their respective bills.

The North Dakota Democrat, during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, offered a reading of the political tea leaves, predicting that several conservative Democratic senators would abandon reform if too many changes were made to the current legislative compromise.

"It is very clear that the final bill that passed in the United States Senate is going too have to be very close to the bill that is being negotiated here," he said. "Otherwise you will not get 60 votes in the United States Senate. So, look, this is a bill that does reduce the deficit according to the independent expert. This is a bill that expands coverage to 30 million people. This is a bill that will begin to control the cost explosion, has got critically important insurance reforms, delivery system reforms, so those who say kill the bill, I think, have really missed the boat."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/20/conrad-senate-health-care_n_398459.html

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Conrad: Final health bill will have to hew closely to Senate's version
By Michael O'Brien
12/20/09

The final health bill to pass Congress will have to hew closely to the Senate's version to be successful, a top Democrat warned Sunday.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, suggested that if the health bill were made to more closely resemble the House's bill, it would jeopardize Democrats' ability to get 60 votes in the Senate.

"I think any bill is going to have to be very close to what the Senate has passed, because we're still going to have to get 60 votes," Conrad said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. "And anyone who has watched this process has seen how challenging it is to get 60 votes."

"It is very clear that the final pill to pass in the United States is going to have to be very close to the bill that's been negotiated here," said Conrad.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/73103-conrad-final-health-bill-will-have-to-hew-closely-to-senates-version

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Senate Democrats Warn House Not to Toy With Health Bill
FOXNews.com
December 20, 2009

Do not mess with this bill.

That was the message Senate Democrats sent to their colleagues on the House side over the weekend, warning them not to make any significant changes to the health care package heading toward a vote in their chamber if they want the bill to survive past Christmas.

"Anybody who's watched this process can see how challenging it has been to get 60 votes," Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said on "Fox News Sunday." "It is very clear that the bill, the final bill, to pass in the United States Senate is going to ... have to be very close to the bill that has been negotiated here. Otherwise you will not get 60 votes in the United States Senate."

The Senate bill was heading toward a critical test vote set for after midnight early Monday.

(Senator)Nelson bluntly warned Saturday that even though he planned to vote for the Senate bill this coming week, that pledge might not apply to the version that emerges from the House and Senate negotiations.

"If there are material changes in that conference report different from this bill that adversely affect the agreement, I reserve the right to vote against the next cloture vote," he said. "Let me repeat it, I reserve the right to vote against the next cloture vote, if there are material changes to this agreement in the conference report. And I will vote against it if that is the case."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/20/senate-democrats-warn-house-alter-health/

[ananda]

1. The historic final version of hell for most Americans

nt

[w4rma]

2. I don't think these "moderates" want to go down in the history books as killing the final bill.

Hopefully something better will come out of reconcilation, because the current version looks like it was written by and for the insurance industry to create captive consumers.

[Better Believe It]

4. They have no concern for history. Why should history bother them in the slightest?

They're getting rich representing corporate America and fully expect to get richer.

Now that's the history that matters, that's real personal!

[msongs]

3. looks like "better than nothing" is the new dems motto - get used to it n

[coti]

5. Just raise the MLR to 90 or above and we'll have to accept it. nt

[NavyMom]

6. Franken & others tried but OMB said it would make it national insurance so they said no more than 85