Posted on 10/22/2009 11:45:00 PM PDT by chuck_the_tv_out
WASHINGTON -- Hopes of getting health care reform through the Senate look grim.
Democratic leaders suffered a major blow Wednesday when some of their own voted against a Medicare rate bill seen as a test for broader reform.
It’s called the “doc fix” -- legislation to increase Medicare payments to doctors with a price tag of $247 billion over the next decade.
It was supposed to be part of the cost of health care.
But in order to bring the health care reform bill in under budget, Democrats simply moved that expense out of health care into another part of the budget, without paying for it.
Republicans called that plan a scam.
“They call it a permanent fix, it’s not a permanent fix at all. It doesn’t fix anything,” Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said.
The measure was easily defeated Wednesday.
In a statement, Majority Leader Harry Reid said:
“It is unfortunate that Republicans have again chosen to put politics before the needs of the American people. The Medicare Physician Fairness Act would help ensure that seniors and military families get the care they need by fairly compensating Medicare and TRICARE doctors.”
But it wasn’t just Republicans -- a dozen Democrats also voted ‘No,’ and that shows some of the trouble Democrats could have in passing a health care reform bill.
“They lost 12 Democrats, plus Sen. Lieberman on this vote, which means that they don’t have the votes to pass this stuff,” said Ed Haislmaier with the Heritage Foundation.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbn.com ...
Don’t get our hopes up, Jennifer. The only thing looking ‘grim’ is our hopes of keeping these clowns from destroying the world’s best health care system.
Zero's fascist health care power grab collapsing under its own corrupt weight sounds great to me!
If we stop them this year, you can put a folk in Obamacare.
Cheeze whiz Batman..
Isn’t that a shame. /s
I’ve felt decent several times though only to have things turn dark again.
I sure hope this is proven to be an accurate indicator of things to come.
Bill number 1776. Hmm 1776... some significance to that number. I hear a distant bell. Ok, that restores my belief that G-d is still here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.