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US Senate panel backs healthcare reform
Source: Agencies |
October 14, 2009, Wednesday
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Online Edition
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A key US Senate committee endorsed a sweeping healthcare overhaul yesterday, gaining the support of an influential Republican and delivering President Barack Obama a victory on his top domestic priority.
The Democratic-controlled Senate Finance Committee approved the measure by 14-9, with Senator Olympia Snowe becoming the first Republican in Congress to back a healthcare reform bill.
"Today we reached a critical milestone in our effort to reform our healthcare system," said Obama, who warned there were still big challenges ahead for healthcare reform.
The bill, the last of five pending health measures to clear a committee in Congress, will be merged with the Senate health panel's version for a floor vote.
Snowe, who had been courted by Obama and his fellow Democrats, said she backed the plan with reservations and could not guarantee her continued support as the overhaul advances.
"My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," Snowe said.
Health insurer companies stocks fell on fears the reform was gaining steam and would hurt profits if it passed. The S&P Managed Health Care index of large health insurers was down 1.9 percent.
"Support for Democratic healthcare legislation by Senator Snowe is a critical development, which definitively shifts the political balance in Democrats' favor," said healthcare equities analyst Avik Roy.
The vote gave another shot of momentum to the healthcare drive and was good news for Obama, who has been criticized for taking too much on board from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to climate change and gay rights.
The proposal drafted by Democratic Chairman Max Baucus was designed to reduce costs, regulate insurers and expand coverage.
"Pretty much everything has been said and now it's time to get the job done," Baucus said. "Americans are looking for common-sense solutions."
Republicans condemned the plan as a costly and heavy-handed government intrusion into the private healthcare sector and said the measure would get even worse as it moves forward.
'SLIPPERY SLOPE'
"We can now see clearly that the bill continues its march leftward," said Senator Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the panel. "This bill is already moving on a slippery slope to more government control of healthcare."
Snowe's support could give Democrats a crucial swing vote as they try to hold the 60 Senate votes needed to overcome procedural roadblocks. Democrats control exactly 60 seats in the 100-member Senate.
Two weeks of panel debate had left the key elements of the committee plan intact. Support was strengthened by last week's estimate from nonpartisan analysts that it would cost US$829 billion -- well below Obama's target of US$900 billion -- and meet the president's goal of reducing the budget deficit.
Snowe and Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, a moderate from Arkansas, urged Baucus to make sure the Finance Committee bill was not drastically altered in the merger with the Senate health panel.
Baucus said after the vote he was not worried about how long the merger of the two Senate bills might take but was more interested in producing a balanced measure.
"Let's make sure we get the merger right. Let's not botch it," he told reporters.
The Senate Finance Committee bill requires all US citizens and legal residents to have health insurance and provides subsidies on a sliding scale to help them buy it.
It would create state-based exchanges where individuals and small businesses would shop for insurance and would bar insurers from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions or dropping those with serious illnesses.
The bill does not include a government-run "public" insurance option backed by Obama and liberal Democrats as a way to create competition for insurers. Republican critics say that approach would undermine the private insurance industry.
All three House bills and the other Senate bill, passed by the Health Committee, include a public insurance option. Supporters have vowed a Senate floor fight over the issue.
Democratic senators condemned an attack on Monday on the Senate Finance bill by the insurance industry, which paid for a report charging the bill would drive up costs and insurance premiums.
"The insurance industry ought to be ashamed of this report," said Democratic Senator John Kerry. "The results were simply not valid."
The Democratic-controlled Senate Finance Committee approved the measure by 14-9, with Senator Olympia Snowe becoming the first Republican in Congress to back a healthcare reform bill.
"Today we reached a critical milestone in our effort to reform our healthcare system," said Obama, who warned there were still big challenges ahead for healthcare reform.
The bill, the last of five pending health measures to clear a committee in Congress, will be merged with the Senate health panel's version for a floor vote.
Snowe, who had been courted by Obama and his fellow Democrats, said she backed the plan with reservations and could not guarantee her continued support as the overhaul advances.
"My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," Snowe said.
Health insurer companies stocks fell on fears the reform was gaining steam and would hurt profits if it passed. The S&P Managed Health Care index of large health insurers was down 1.9 percent.
"Support for Democratic healthcare legislation by Senator Snowe is a critical development, which definitively shifts the political balance in Democrats' favor," said healthcare equities analyst Avik Roy.
The vote gave another shot of momentum to the healthcare drive and was good news for Obama, who has been criticized for taking too much on board from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to climate change and gay rights.
The proposal drafted by Democratic Chairman Max Baucus was designed to reduce costs, regulate insurers and expand coverage.
"Pretty much everything has been said and now it's time to get the job done," Baucus said. "Americans are looking for common-sense solutions."
Republicans condemned the plan as a costly and heavy-handed government intrusion into the private healthcare sector and said the measure would get even worse as it moves forward.
'SLIPPERY SLOPE'
"We can now see clearly that the bill continues its march leftward," said Senator Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the panel. "This bill is already moving on a slippery slope to more government control of healthcare."
Snowe's support could give Democrats a crucial swing vote as they try to hold the 60 Senate votes needed to overcome procedural roadblocks. Democrats control exactly 60 seats in the 100-member Senate.
Two weeks of panel debate had left the key elements of the committee plan intact. Support was strengthened by last week's estimate from nonpartisan analysts that it would cost US$829 billion -- well below Obama's target of US$900 billion -- and meet the president's goal of reducing the budget deficit.
Snowe and Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, a moderate from Arkansas, urged Baucus to make sure the Finance Committee bill was not drastically altered in the merger with the Senate health panel.
Baucus said after the vote he was not worried about how long the merger of the two Senate bills might take but was more interested in producing a balanced measure.
"Let's make sure we get the merger right. Let's not botch it," he told reporters.
The Senate Finance Committee bill requires all US citizens and legal residents to have health insurance and provides subsidies on a sliding scale to help them buy it.
It would create state-based exchanges where individuals and small businesses would shop for insurance and would bar insurers from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions or dropping those with serious illnesses.
The bill does not include a government-run "public" insurance option backed by Obama and liberal Democrats as a way to create competition for insurers. Republican critics say that approach would undermine the private insurance industry.
All three House bills and the other Senate bill, passed by the Health Committee, include a public insurance option. Supporters have vowed a Senate floor fight over the issue.
Democratic senators condemned an attack on Monday on the Senate Finance bill by the insurance industry, which paid for a report charging the bill would drive up costs and insurance premiums.
"The insurance industry ought to be ashamed of this report," said Democratic Senator John Kerry. "The results were simply not valid."
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