Billions Added: Reid Presents Senate Health Bill
Nov 18, 2009 3 Comments ›› Erik Wong
The Senate’s version of President Obama’s sweeping health care plan would cost $849 billion, according to a preliminary estimate by the Congressional Budget Office.
The bill would expand health care coverage to more than 94 percent of Americans, and cut the federal deficit by $127 billion over the first 10 years and as much as $650 billion over the next 10 years.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released the bill and its price tag to his colleagues Wednesday afternoon. He has spent weeks merging two versions of the bill that passed out of two separate Senate committees.
Reid plans to hold a procedural vote as early as Thursday to begin debate on Saturday.
Reid has been trying to muster the 60 votes needed to start debate, but senior Democratic leadership aides told Fox News that Reid is all but certain to reach that threshold. Though Democrats have a 60-vote majority, moderate Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas were thought to be on the fence.
Nelson, though, released a written statement Wednesday afternoon saying he needs time to first review the bill that Reid unveils.
“I won’t decide how I’ll vote on the motion to proceed until I know what I’m voting on,” he said.
The House narrowly passed its $1.2 trillion version of health care reform earlier this month with a 220-215 vote.
