60-39
WASHINGTON — Sweeping health care legislation has cleared its first hurdle in the full Senate on a party-line vote.
The 60-39 vote clears the way for a historic debate after Thanksgiving on the legislation. The measure is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who lack it and crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.
The White House released a statement saying, “The President is gratified that the Senate has acted to begin consideration of health insurance reform legislation. Tonight’s historic vote brings us one step closer to ending insurance company abuses, reining in spiraling health care costs, providing stability and security to those with health insurance, and extending quality health coverage to those who lack it. The President looks forward to a thorough and productive debate.”
The rare Saturday session amounted to a first round in the fight to pass the bill in the full Senate, with the remaining Democratic holdouts announcing they would support at least the measure to open debate on the bill, avoiding an early knockout by Republicans.
Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana waited until Saturday to say they would vote yes for a floor debate. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced Friday his support for moving the bill forward.
All three cautioned that their votes to start debate should not be construed a support for the bill in its current form.
“It is a vote to move forward to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is under way,” Landrieu said on the Senate floor. “I’ve decided that there’s enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward but more work needs to be done.”
Lincoln said she still would support a filibuster if the so-called “public option,” a government-run insurance plan, remains in the health care bill.
“I along with others expect to have legitimate opportunities to influence the health care reform legislation that is voted on by the Senate later this year or early next year,” she said.
While the vote is only a procedural one, Republicans haven’t backed down.
“This is a vote about whether or not you want to fundamentally change the way health care is delivered in this country in a way which massively expands the size of government, the role of government and significantly increases the tax burden, especially for small businesses and cuts Medicare by a dramatic amount of money,” Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., told Fox News before Saturday’s session began.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the bill “monstrous” and, citing the Congressional Budget Office, said it would not bring down costs.
Democrats said their legislation could make historic and necessary improvements in the country’s social safety net.
“Prices of health care are marching relentlessly upwards, and so too many people don’t have coverage,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. “The purpose of all of this is to try to get a handle on it somehow.”
Most Americans would be required to purchase insurance under Reid’s legislation, and billions in new taxes would be levied on insurers and high-income Americans to help extend coverage to 30 million uninsured. Insurance companies would no longer be allowed to deny coverage to people with medical conditions or drop coverage when someone gets sick.
Republicans used their weekly radio and Internet address to slam the legislation, calling it a government takeover of health care that would increase taxes and raise medical costs.
“This 2,000-page bill will drive up the cost of health care insurance and medical care, not down,” Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said in the address. “This is not true health care reform, and it is not what the American people want. This bill will result in higher premiums and higher health care costs for Americans — period.”
The White House issued a statement late Friday praising the Senate measure. “This bill provides the necessary health reforms that the administration seeks — affordable, quality care within reach for the tens of millions of Americans who do not have it today, and stability and security for the hundreds of millions who do,” the statement said.
The action in the Senate comes two weeks after the House approved a health overhaul bill of its own on a 220-215 vote. After the vote Saturday night, senators will leave for a Thanksgiving recess. Upon their return, assuming Democrats prevail on the vote, they will launch into weeks or more of unpredictable debate on the health care bill, with numerous amendments expected from both sides of the aisle and more 60-vote hurdles along the way.
Senate leaders hope to pass their bill by the end of the year. If that happens, January would bring work to reconcile the House and Senate versions before a final package could land on Obama’s desk.
The bills have many similarities, including the new requirements on insurers and the creation of new purchasing marketplaces called exchanges where self-employed individuals and small businesses could go to shop for and compare coverage plans. One option in the exchanges would be a new government-offered plan, something that’s opposed by private insurers and business groups.
Differences include requirements for employers. The House bill would require medium and large businesses to cover their employees, while the Senate bill would not require them to offer coverage but would make them pay a fee if the government ends up subsidizing employees’ coverage.
Another difference is in how they’re paid for. The Senate bill includes a tax on high-value insurance policies that’s not part of the House bill, while the House would levy a new income tax on upper-income Americans that’s not in the Senate measure. The Senate measure also raises the Medicare payroll tax on income above $200,000 annually for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Both bills rely on more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare.
The Senate bill was written by Reid in private negotiations with White House officials, combining elements of two committee-passed bills and making additional changes with an eye to getting the necessary 60 votes.
Along the way, Reid sweetened the pot for individual senators, adding federal funds for Louisiana and agreeing to support an amendment written by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that would expand eligibility for the purchasing exchanges.
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How many motherfuckers did they have to bribe and blackmail to get that through?! everyone, including Democrats, openly stated that it was dead on arrival at the Senate.
stupid fucks…
Democrats reviving the dead to kill the living
That’s how they take the fuck’n pressure off.
Cash for Cloture…
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/11/21/saturday-in-the-senate-selling-out-for-demcare-cloture-reid-gets-60/
At least my state has the distiction of have the highest paid whore in the history of mankind
Which Repub. did not vote?
Just emailed the fucking cunt senators from washington state and let them know they ended their carriers. Washington state has a viable canidate to run against Patty the dipshit Murray…the most liberal senator after Obama left. Fuckers.
We done talkin’ yet?
The cocksuckers in DC ain’t listening so what are we waiting for?
That is the question of the hour. How can we let 600 individuals pass this bullshit?
Tyranny is here and it is time.
Only 600? Millions elected those 600. Your Marxist opponents are a super-majority now.
THE DEMS DIDN’T FUCKING WIN ANYTHING EXCEPT MY HOPE THAT I CAN FIND YOU MYSELF…….. AS FAR AS ELECTION FRAUD, IT IS TIME TO KILL AS MANY ACORN “STREET FUCKERS” AS WE CAN!!!!!!
I WILL WORK TO FIND THE THE TRUE ADDRESSES OF OBAMA-BOTS IN THIS COUNTRY SO WE WILL GET THEM ALL!!!!!!!!
WE ARE TO BLAME FOR EVER ALLOWING OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE. HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THE CAMPAIGN.
I am starting a democratic Dead pool they still have to come home for Thanksgiving break time to jump these screws and pound their Liberal Asses into the ground
Many, as washington state’s 6th district representative, Norm Dicks, do not live in their home state. They choose to keep a summer cottage, and visit 3 weeks out of the year.
The Constitution of the United States of America
1789-2009
RIP
Won’t this be the biggest lump of coal we get for Christmas? Ugh.
Pat wrote this over in Deep Thoughts:
“No matter what he says, the Leftist enemy does not tolerate you. Do not tolerate him. Coexistence is for debates, not wars.
When the Left became a strictly anti-American revolutionary army, the civil debate ended and the civil war began.”
I will add that with the recent House vote and this Senate vote we have to consider every Democrat as someone willing to deny us needed medical care and actively trying to imprison us for up to five years and fine us $250,000. This felony conviction that every Democrat wishes to impose on us will also as a felony deny us our suffrage and our Second Amendment Rights.
We no longer benignly have different views. We are in a Cold Civil War
http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/18/pelosis-healthcare-vision-government-mandate-or-jail/
So … so far I have already heard about changes that will be implemented immediately for womens health … no breast cancer checks until 50 years old and no regular smears until the age of 40 (you know, because that type of cancer grows slowly) … and people said that government health care coverage would make us healthier while being cheaper … and this NOT just another governmental crock of shit … it is much worse.
You know … all the Democrats who are voting for this shit have to ask themselves … what if they are wrong? What happens if this crap is enacted and it is so damn expensive that the government absolutely cannot afford it, not even by hook and crook calculations like the ones in the bill now? What happens if they destroy the system we have now for a system that proves to be completely unworkable? How long will it take to privatize it again? How many people will die?
The old saying; don’t rock the boat while sitting in it … Ya know, I have no problem with steering the boat as it can be steered, easily, in another direction when heading into a storm but if you overturn the fuckin’ thing sooner-or-later we all drown.
Lastly, 10 years of taxes to pay for 7 years of undercalculated costs of this plan???!!! What happens in the 8th year? Or WHEN the plan goes over budget?
Those WHORES will collect this money and when it comes time to provide the healthcare[?], they will have spent it all on some government handout to buy more votes to keep the WHORES in office.
I am saying this Here and FUCKING now. I won’t be paying federal taxes until this bullshit is repealed.
I guess you won’t buy ammunition either. Currently the Federal Excise Tax on ammo is 11%.
Did anybody really expect anything different?
A 10 million man march on Washington. SHUT IT DOWN!
-The Fucking 9-12′ers COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS THEN, but they didn’t do shit.
THE DEMS AREN’T AFRAID OF OUR TALK!!!!!!!
This time we go armed. Shut down the roads into and out of DC. Of course all the meat whistles in DC will be going home for the holidays. That’s another reason they passed this monstrosity now.
I hope the motherfuckers choke on their turkey back home. Maybe their constituents will shove that turkey up their asses. The time to get them is when they sit down at their dinner tables and start shoveling food into their pie holes.
Average Joe, the DemoRats don’t give a flying fuck about our talk. Money talks and power corrupts.
March,call, e-mail.?
Give me a break.We have exhausted all peaceful means.
From someone who tried to enlist 6 times, but was told too young, toofat, sinus problems, too old, etc……..
I AM ASHAMED THAT ANY MILITARY PERSON ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN!!!!!
The philosophy of the class room yesterday is the philosophy of the people today.
Focus where you should be focusing -your children.
Prob. 22:6
WTF??????
THEY HAVE ALREADY FIRED THE FIRST MILLION SHOTS, AND WE HAVEN’T FUCKING RESPONDED ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL OF THERE POLITICAL ACTION IS EQUAL TO 1770-1775, AND ALL WE HAVE DONE IS YAWN AND SAY “KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY”
EVEN HASAN AT FORT HOOD WAS ONE OF “THEIR SHOTS” AT US, CAN’T YOU GET THAT YET!!!
-spelling error….”ALL OF THEIR POLITICAL ACTION…”
I AM SO ANGRY I CAN HARDLY TYPE TODAY!!!!!!!!
I feel like you Joe, I get so angry..I find it hard to type or do anything, I want to break some liberals face, I want…I want….
Look for Obama to make troop request decision soon. ( He will now send what is needed) because he pacified his ‘progressives’ with CONGRESS ‘win’ for health care debate’. If something went down,he would say ‘NO MORE TROOPS-END THE WAR’… because he would have to quit and calm his bratty whiny base…THOSE PRO-GRESSIV…ES… (Can’t send more troops AND lose health care debate) Watch now, all of a sudden HE WILL HAVE MADE A DECISION . This SOB is using and mishandling our troops . NOTE TO THE BASTARD IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Why not gather your MUSLIM CREW together and fly some plane into some building ? U MAKE ME SICK YOU SCHMUCK !