Senate votes to keep Medicare cuts in health bill

[cal04]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL?SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Casting its first votes on revamping the nation's health care system, the Senate rejected a Republican bid Thursday to stave off Medicare cuts and approved safeguards for coverage of mammograms and other preventive tests for women. The first round of votes ended with a fragile Democratic coalition hanging together.

Senators voted 58-42 to reject an amendment by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would have stripped more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts from the nearly $1 trillion measure. It would have sent the entire 2,074-page bill back to the Senate Finance Committee for a redo.

Republicans said the proposed cuts to health insurance plans and medical providers mean seniors in the popular Medicare Advantage program will lose benefits. And they predicted lawmakers will ultimately back away from the cuts, once seniors start feeling the brunt.

"Medicare is already in trouble. The program needs to be fixed, not raided to create another new government program," said Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

[damntexdem]

1. The cuts to insurance plans are absolutely essential.

I worry about those to providers.

[Bitwit1234]

2. The Medicare cuts are mostly for the Advantage Plans

that bush and the republicans pushed to give the health insurance companies a foothole in Medicare. And they sure did, they are screwing it up by siphoning off the money for regular Medicare.