from HARPER'S WEEKLY: >Senate Democrats succeeded in producing an “historic” health-care reform bill >that will force millions of people to buy insurance and will tax existing >benefits if they are too generous, but will not include a public option or >force the pharmaceutical industry to lower its prices. Liberal Democrats were >upset with Senator Joe Lieberman for playing bad cop in the Senate negotiation >process, thus ensuring that both the public option and the Medicare “buy-in” >options were scuttled. An amendment that would have allowed Americans to buy >their medication abroad failed in the Senate, in large part because of >resistance from the White House, and Republican senators tried to slow debate >on health care by demanding a 700-page amendment be read out loud, thus >delaying the passing of a bill that provides funding for U.S. troops. Neither >President Obama nor the Senate leadership seemed particularly upset or >surprised by the final bill, which Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, >was planning to pass by Christmas Eve. Health insurer stocks closed on a >52-year high. “We WIN,” emailed one insurance industry insider. “Administered >by private insurance companies. No government funding. No government insurance >competitor.”< -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
