[That's an inch closer to the gaol of getting the Bill passed by the US Congress. But then, it's only an inch. And, what goal?
The "controversial government-run insurance option" is dropped in this version. Yet, the passage is far from assured. Still opposition remains quite virulent. The huge difficulty of pursuing any progressive agenda is doubly underscored. That's all the more reason to wage a determined and intelligent battle. The future is of course open-ended.] http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290036,key-senate-committee-approves-us-health-reform-bill--summary.html Key Senate committee approves US health reform bill - Summary Posted : Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:52:51 GMT Washington - A key Senate panel approved an overhaul of US health care coverage on Tuesday, bringing President Barack Obama's top domestic priority one major step closer to fruition. The Senate Finance Committee's 14-9 vote, which was largely along party lines, comes after months of fierce disputes between lawmakers and interest groups and paves the way for the entire Senate to consider the reform plans in the coming weeks. "I never count chickens before they have hatched, but this is obviously another step forward," Obama told reporters after a meeting at the White House with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero. The finance committee's version is considered to have the best chance of passing Congress, which would end a decades-long fight for comprehensive reforms of the world's costliest health-care system. It is the only one of five potential bills that does not include a controversial government-run insurance option, and the only bill that purports to reduce the huge US budget deficit, according to the non- partisan Congressional Budget Office. "Ours is a balanced plan that can pass the Senate," said Senator Max Baucus, the Democratic chairman of the 23-member committee. "This is our opportunity to make history." The bill is estimated to cost 829 billion dollars over 10 years. It would for the first time force people to buy health insurance, extend coverage to nearly 30 million people currently uninsured, increase government subsidies for the poor and expand competition among insurers in a bid to lower costs. But the reforms are still disputed. Obama has lobbied heavily for the first major overhaul of the US health care sector in more than four decades. He wants a final bill passed by the end of the year. Baucus and two fellow-Democrats spent months in closed-door meetings trying to find a compromise with three potential Republican supporters. The committee then held weeks of public meetings, adopting 41 amendments to the legislation. In the end only one Republican senator, Olympia Snowe, offered cautious support for the Baucus bill. She said the US public "want us to continue working" on the reforms and warned she could still oppose the final Senate version. "When history calls, history calls," she said. "I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress ... to solve the monumental issues of our time." Snowe said the bill included many bipartisan measures, including provisions to prevent insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions or dropping older clients as their health deteriorates. But most conservatives argue the legislation does little to lower health costs for the average family and amounts to heavy government encroachment on a largely private industry. They also fear that hard- won compromises could be erased as the bill is merged in coming weeks with a costlier version approved by the Senate Health Committee. The bill is "already moving on a slippery slope to more and more government control of health care," said Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the committee. "We can now see clearly that the bill continues its march leftward." The lower House of Representatives is considering its own proposals. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to include in her bill a government-run insurance option, which is fiercely opposed by Republicans but has divided Obama's own party. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
