Reid Loses “Doc Fix” Vote, Blames It On AMA
It looked like the fix was in. The “Doc Fix,” that is. As the Heritage Foundation has been reporting, the White House and Dem leaders scurried today to try and pass a $247 billion payoff to doctors groups as an enticement to support Obamacare.
Surprise: The fix failed. The cloture voted on S. 1776 failed by 47-53. Here’s the roll call vote:
And now look who’s whining. Harry Reid blames the AMA:
Reid brought the $247 billion bill to the Senate floor this week as part of a deal to secure the support of doctors groups such as the AMA for passage of a separate, broader healthcare reform bill later this year. But the strategy has backfired.
Reid knew that he needed Republican votes because several centrist Democrats made it clear to him before this week that they would not vote for the measure if its cost was not offset. Reid though he could count on a few Republican crossover votes…
…Reid told reporters on Wednesday that he was led to believe that more than two dozen Republicans would vote for the bill, though he did not mention the AMA by name.
“I was told by various people that we would have 27 Republican votes, which was pretty reasonable to assume since one of the co-sponsors of this legislation was [Sen.] Jon Kyl [Ariz.], the assistant Republican leader.
“I was stunned when I was told by his cosponsor Sen. Stabenow after we introduced this legislation that [Kyl] couldn’t support it. Even though he is a cosponsor he couldn’t support the legislation,” Reid said, making reference to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the lead sponsor of the 10-year doctor payment fix.
Kyl did not cosponsor the 10-year fix. Last year and in 2005 he cosponsored a measure that would have implemented a two-year freeze on the cuts to Medicare payments to doctors.
An aide to Kyl said that those measures would have indexed future payments to inflation and rising healthcare costs. The aide said that Stabenow’s bill would freeze payment levels and make no provision for rising costs.
Another factor is that the nation’s fiscal picture is much different than it was last year. The Obama administration recently estimated the federal deficit at $1.4 trillion.
The AMA pushes back against Reid here.
RedState congratulates grass-roots activists.
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Both our cocksucking,illegal immigrant loving,Colorado senators voted yes.WE are stuck with udalls sorry ass for years,but we can remove bennets sleazy ass next year.FUCK YOU BOTH
both my cocksuckers voted for this as well. but Lautenberg and Mendez are the dumb and dumber of the liberal set, would expect anything else from them.
Both Washington state fur eating, illegal immigrant loving, senators voted yes. WE too are stuck with cantwell and murrays sorry ass for years, because of the lib sucking I-5 corridor. murray and cantwell, thanks for sticking it to America.
My fucking Illinois Cocksuckers voted for it.
Reid & Peloski–
This is your reality check from the “flyover states” and blue dog dem’s As Bart Simpson’s friend, would say “HA, HA!”. Fuck you, losers.
This is just the beginning of the voter backlash. Obama, you and your czars and cronies days are numbered.
So Komrade Reid actually believed the ‘tonsil and foot thief’ lobby would deliver 27 Repub votes to replace scared shitless Dems?
That’s dumbfuck squared right there.
My Senators made me proud today.