The Senate can pass affordable health reform - with a strong public option. The House will make sure they do.
Posted on October 19th, 2009 by Roger Hickey, Campaign for America's Future in From Our Partners
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This is the moment when Senators Max Baucus and Majority Leader Harry Reid (and President Obama) should make history by producing a Senate health reform bill that
- makes health insurance truly affordable for all Americans,
- creates a strong public option to give private insurers real competition,
- and doesn't destroy Democratic re-election hopes by taxing hard-won middle class health benefits.
Last week the Senate Finance Committee became the last of five Congressional committees to pass a health reform bill - this one by far the weakest of all the bills. Almost immediately a small group of Senators - Majority Leader Harry Reid, Finance Chair Max Baucus, and acting HELP Committee Chair Chris Dodd - huddled with a White House team led by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to begin the mysterious process by which the more progressive HELP committee bill will be melded with the product of Baucus's mostly fruitless negotiation with Senate Republicans, only one of whom, Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, deigned to vote for the final Finance bill.
Reid and even Baucus say they personally support a public option, but they repeatedly point to the so-called "moderates" in their own party whose support is necessary to get to the 60 vote majority needed to pass a health reform bill in the Senate. With a smart legislative strategy, the 60 Democratic votes (which, with Snowe would total 61) could be called upon just to overcome a Republic filibuster, clearing the way for a 50 vote majority to pass a strong health reform bill — while letting more conservative Democrats vote against it. [More on this anti-filibuster unity strategy in columns to come.]
It’s time to stop talking about healthcare reform and start SINGING about it!! See “Healthcare Fighting (King Fu Mix)” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nc1VwJOb9Y
Thank You HCFAN for everything you do. You are one of only a very few sources of truth regarding the entire health care reform issue. In this piece you state that “The Senate can pass affordable health reform - with a strong public option. The House will make sure they do.”…which concerns me because the fact is the House can't 'make sure' the Senate does anything. My other concern is that readers will feel that there is no reason to make calls…fight…and demand a strong public option because the House has everything covered which is far from correct. We, The People, MUST do all we can to make certain that a strong, competitive public option is in the final bill. It's not going to be done through the power of the House….rather the power/voice of The People. Contact your Senators/Congresspeople TODAY !
Make Those Calls…Make Those Demands !!!
Thanks Again HCFAN for all of your great works.
thank for your efforts. anothing thing that needs to be done is take the cap off social securityand stop these so called pet projects. our great nation could prosper again if these changes are made. care to response? thank you