Finance Committee to vote Monday

[ProSense]

US health bill gets Senate boost

The US Senate Finance Committee has completed its work on a health bill, bringing healthcare reform in America a step closer.

The committee is expected to vote on its bill on Monday.

The bill will not include a government-run insurance option for people without employer-provided coverage, unlike other panels' bills.

But it will mandate all Americans to get health insurance, and offer subsidies for the less well-off.

For decades, health reformers have tried to set up a universal healthcare system in America.

But if the finance committee votes to approve it on Monday, it will be the first time that a healthcare reform bill has been passed by all five of the congressional committees with jurisdiction over healthcare.

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(emphasis added)

Democrats 5, Republicans 0

[mvd]

1. 5 - 0 is a good slogan!

:hi:

[Cant trust em]

2. I'm not sure if I want this bill to pass.

It has no public option, but does contain a mandate? I'm really uncomfortable with this.

[mvd]

4. Neither do I, but the point is that the Democrats have 5 bills offered..

to the Repukes' none.

[ProSense]

6. Nothing to fear, it's just one bill, and not the dominant bill at that. n/t

[Beetwasher]

7. Then You Have Nothing To Worry About

Because the bill that will pass will be some combination of ALL 5 bills, not that specific one. And I can practically guarantee it will have a public option, since 4 of the 5 have one.

[SpartanDem]

3. More like 4 1/2 to 0

given the overall quality of Dems on that committee

[mvd]

5. LOL

I was thinking that. They say great minds think alike. :-)

[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. LOL.

Good point.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Now THAT is something to be proud of! NT

[quantass]

9. If this SHIT Bill doesnt pass what happens?

Must Congress have 5 bills to proceed forward (if i am not mistaken it is given to Reid to combine and cmoe up with one final bill for voting by both houses) or can they just have 4?

This bill is an insurer's wet dream, and Wall Street's, and apparently from the recent news, the WH's too.

[Mass]

11. No, Reid gets to combine HELP and Finance. The House gets its own bill.

Once one bill is passed in the House and one in the Senate, they go to conference to produce one bill that will be voted by the two Chambers.

I think that the finance bill needs to pass to move on to the next step, but I may be wrong. I know, however, that it would take balls for Reid to move on without this bill if it does not pass, and it is not something he has.

[liberalpragmatist]

12. You need Finance to pass a bill because they control the finances and Medicare and Medicaid

Theoretically, you can bypass the committee, but I believe that would require 60 votes too, in order to waive unanimous consent. (The Senate fucking flows as an institution.)

So Finance needs to pass a bill in order to provide at least preliminary funding mechanisms. Also, the HELP Committee bill is incomplete because it doesn't have jurisdiction over Medicaid or Medicare. Both of those need to be addressed first in Finance.