Hatch: Dems may push smaller health care bill through reconciliation

Washington Times-Water Cooler ^ | 3/5/10 | Kerry Picket

[paltz]

On a bloggers conference call this afternoon Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah expressed his concern that Democratic leadership will manipulate parliamentary procedure and try to push through a smaller version of the health care bill through parliamentary rule manipulation and reconciliation.

Reconciliation has never been used to pass social legislation that did not have massive bi-partisan support. Of the nineteen times reconciliation has been successfully used since 1974, only three were for social legislation. These were: welfare reform, SCHIP, and college tuition. These three proposals were passed with at least 78 votes. Welfare reform had 78 votes. SCHIP had 85, and college tuition had about 78.

[ncalburt]

is there a formal written version of obamacare lite somewhere ?

[Mr. K]

AND IT IS YOUR JOB TO STOP IT OORRRRINNNNNNNN!!!

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Since the Senate passed the bill in Dec, if the House votes for it, the bill goes to 0bamas desk for signature and then becomes law.

What the heck is Orrin Hatch talking about? What am I missing?

[Qout]

There aren’t enough Democrats in the House to pass this bill. All House seats are up for election in November and many districts are perceived to be less Democrat than Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

[RC2]

If they pass this bill, there will be many more standing in the unemployment line.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Kill the bill!

[freekitty]

I suspect the $500 million they are going to steal from Medicare or Medicaid to put into Obamacare about $499 million will be going into the private slush funds.

You seriously don’t think they are going to use it for a healthcare program that will be non existent for all practical purposes. Look around and see what they have done to the schools, to our services, and we still have the same ghettos.

I think Obama voters should take another look. You will be slaves; nothing more. Oh you will be paid; but you will not have a life of your own. No more doing anything you want to when you want. In otherwords, there goes your freedom. This is not about race; etc; It’s about control, greed and power.

[lquist1]

“Since the Senate passed the bill in Dec, if the House votes for it, the bill goes to 0bamas desk for signature and then becomes law.

What the heck is Orrin Hatch talking about? What am I missing? “

Orrin is focused on the wrong thing right now. The reconciliation talk at this point is just a distraction. The REAL focus right now needs to be with the House. I hope they don’t have the votes to pass the Senate bill, but we can never be certain of that cause we’re dealing with Democrats, which means corruption, arm twisting, lies, sellouts, whatever it takes to get this done.

If the Senate bill does pass the House, I highly doubt that they would go through the bloody reconciliation fight, having already gotten a version of Obamacare signed into law. There would be no incentive for the Senate to try to amend their own bill, that would already be signed into law.

So right now, what Hatch is talking about is not a priority. I think he is describing a scenario a couple months down the road where if the Senate bill dies, then the Dems bring up a smaller health care bill and try to pass it through reconciliation.

We’ll cross that bridge if we ever get there. For now, we need to focus on the HOUSE, and especially the “no” votes from last time and the Stupak pro-lifers. These are really the only people standing between us and having socialized healthcare. We have to go after them with all we have-calls, faxes, emails, and if you’re in one of their districts, visit their local office.

[xkaydet65]

The Dems are going to force a vote in the House on the Senate bill and when it passses Obama will sign it and declare victory. Throwing left and right Dems under the bus is no concern. He wants this in place where it cannot be removed.

He and Pelosi will talk up reconciliation to get the Stupaks and Kucinichs to vote yes, but once a yes vote occurs reconciliation will go the way of Pan Am and TWA.

[traditional1]

They'll pass Socialized Medicine in some form, and then pile on all the goodies they want after it becomes Law.

That's the plan.

They'll never see it repealed by weak-kneed Republicans no matter WHAT Party has a Majority in Congress.

Once it's in place, it's the END of private insurance. They'll even post job numbers that include all the thousands of new "government employees", aka, SEIU Members, that will be created to oversee Socialized Medicine.

[chris_bdba]

If it is a smaller bill then it is a different bill and reconcilation would be illegal. I know the law means nothing to the dems but could they all be prosecuted next Congress for doing this?

[GailA]

How one votes AFFECTS US ALL!

It ain’t dead until congress is recessed and we flip at least 1 in Nov, or we will be fighting this battle for 3 more years!

OBAMANOMICS—TRICKLE DOWN DESTRUCTION of the economy
Bambi doesn’t keep his promises...so buyer beware!

SET THEIR LOCAL AND DC LINES ON FIRE!

PLEASE ASK THEM TO REPEAL THE BIG NEW FEES in TRICARE for Life, the retired Military over 65 secondary health ins. which they passed in a DOD bill. They promised our Military these benefits, and our Military have earned them.

Sen Scott Brown’s number is 202-224-4543
Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121

Lots of local demwit phone numbers on this thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408217/posts

Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military’s secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011 NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!

OBAMA’s WAR ON SENIORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433867/posts/

New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.

Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security, http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security

Health Care Rationing for Seniors Another Problem in New Obama Plan http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html

Medicare tax may apply to investment income (ObamaCare tax hike)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460988/posts

Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/obama.health.care/index.html

Will healthcare reform mean cuts in Medicare for seniors?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2009/1017/will-healthcare-reform-mean-cuts-in-medicare-for-seniors

Health Reform’s Hidden Victims Young people and seniors would pay a high price for ObamaCare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574306303720472842.html

SOCIALIZED MED THREAD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2464538/posts

MILITARY & Retired MILITARY
Veterans’ G.I. Bill benefits MIA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2464680/posts
TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w/

By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009

Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.

The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.

“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.

[GailA]

Obamacare call list: Courtsey of TN Eagle Forum:

PLEASE CALL! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE State District
Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District
Bart Gordon (202) 225-4231 TN
Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI