Max Baucus voting record on Health Care issues.

[in_cog_ni_to]

Max Baucus on Health Care
Click here for 26 full quotes on Health Care OR background on Health Care.

Voted NO on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts. (May 2011)
Voted YES on regulating tobacco as a drug. (Jun 2009)
Voted YES on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare. (Jul 2008)
Voted NO on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare. (Feb 2008)
Voted YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000. (May 2006)
Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
Voted NO on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
Voted NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)
Voted YES on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on limiting self-employment health deduction. (Jul 1999)
Voted YES on increasing tobacco restrictions. (Jun 1998)
Voted YES on Medicare means-testing. (Jun 1997)
Voted YES on blocking medical savings acounts. (Apr 1996)
Establish "report cards" on HMO quality of care. (Aug 2000)
Invest funds to alleviate the nursing shortage. (Apr 2001)
Rated 75% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record. (Dec 2003)
Include mental health services under Medicare. (Jun 2008)
Collect data on birth defects and present to the public. (Apr 1998)

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Max_Baucus.htm

[joshcryer]

1. Interesting, thanks.

[vi5]

2. Hmmm...interesting.

Thanks for posting that.

Based on that, I guess it could be worse.

Given this record, it makes you wonder what compelled him to be such a motherfucker in the Health Care Reform debate.

[joshcryer]

6. He had his arms twisted behind his back.

That's why.

[Jack Rabbit]

12. That's not an excuse

Your answer presupposes that Senator Baucus is receiving bribes campaign donations from the health care industry and that the industry threatens to defeat him by withholding money he might be expecting when he runs for re-election.

That doesn't make him an object of pity. That makes him a crooked politician.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. Hmmm... not too bad.

For now...

[joshcryer]

4. BUT HE KILLED HEALTH CARE!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

(Hint: he was forced into having a shitty deal on Health Care, which was embarrassing for him since he specifically pushed the public option loudly.)

[Bluebear]

5. No not bad... Except for being owned by pharma

[joshcryer]

7. He voted YES on "negotiated Rx."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. That's what I thought, too! n/t

[joshcryer]

9. But he did vote NO on "negotiating bulk purchases." That's the one bad apple in this history.

YES on "reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada" is good. But bulk purchases would lower costs dramatically. I believe it was $20 billion or so a year.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. That's why I wish I could see the rationale behind members' votes.

Sometimes it's not the "yes" or "no," but feeling that one has to vote "no" on a bill that they would ordinarily vote "yes" on because there was some provision that destroyed the entire thing. This is the issue that got John Kerry in trouble in 2004. There's always some provision or line-item, rider, or what have you that makes the entire bill objectionable.

This is what political scientists dream of. Of course, the Congressional Record keeps track of speeches given on the floor that support a member's vote or explains the rationale behind the vote. However, those statements aren't always recorded for one reason or another.

[joshcryer]

11. Looks like it might be because he was up for election in 2008, but I dunno.

That seems a bit shallow looking at the other votes between then and 2008 though.