Baucus & Co. Shoot Down Public Option Amendment
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and his merry band of legislators on Tuesday nixed an amendment proposing that a government-backed "public option" be included in Baucus' contested health care reform plan, using the argument that the public option addition would further diminish the bill's chances of passing.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and his merry band of legislators on Tuesday nixed an amendment proposing that a government-backed “public option” be included in Baucus’ contested health care reform plan , using the argument that the public option addition would further diminish the bill’s chances of passing. –KA
Your support is crucial…The Washington Post:
The panel’s chairman, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and four other Democrats sided with Republicans in opposing a public-option amendment offered by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.). Baucus said he voted against the politically volatile provision because he feared that a bill including it would not get the 60 votes it would need to pass on the Senate floor. The committee voted 15 to 8 to reject the amendment.
After the vote, the panel began debating a second public-option amendment introduced by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“We are going to get at this, and at this, and at this, until we succeed, because we believe in it so strongly,” Schumer said in offering his amendment. He disputed Baucus’s contention that a health-care reform bill including the public option could never pass the Senate, saying the more Americans hear about its benefits, “the more they like it.”
With an uncertain future and a new administration casting doubt on press freedoms, the danger is clear: The truth is at risk.
Now is the time to give. Your tax-deductible support allows us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes what’s really happening — without compromise.
During this holiday season, stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and ensure the stories that matter are told.
A common talking point among American exceptionalists is that the U.S. is blessed with one of the best health care systems. Their claim couldn't be further from the truth.
An institution that thrives because of private donors and public financing serves as a model for U.S. reform.
To begin to solve the health care crisis, we need a system based on health and the money to pay for it. House Resolution 676 is the model for that system.
"Where was he when I was trying to get health care in ’93 and ’94?" Yeah, the photograph kind of says it all.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.