Democrats Block GOP Efforts to Change Health-Care Bill
By Ceci Connolly, Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday blocked the first in a series of efforts by Republicans to head off changes in a health-care reform bill that would cut about $500 billion to Medicare providers over a decade.
On the second day of work on a bill authored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the committee chairman, the panel also rejected a GOP amendment that would have effectively delayed a vote on the package by two or three weeks.
After a heated hour-long exchange, Democrats defeated a Republican effort to restore $113 billion in funding for Medicare Advantage, a private insurance program that has been criticized for high costs. All 13 Democrats on the committee were joined by one Republican, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), in voting against the amendment offered by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), who was backed by eight other Republicans.
The vote was significant because it protected a major source of funding in Baucus's bill. Republicans were willing to reduce Medicaid payments to states to keep the legislation from adding to the federal deficit.
(More here.)
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday blocked the first in a series of efforts by Republicans to head off changes in a health-care reform bill that would cut about $500 billion to Medicare providers over a decade.
On the second day of work on a bill authored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the committee chairman, the panel also rejected a GOP amendment that would have effectively delayed a vote on the package by two or three weeks.
After a heated hour-long exchange, Democrats defeated a Republican effort to restore $113 billion in funding for Medicare Advantage, a private insurance program that has been criticized for high costs. All 13 Democrats on the committee were joined by one Republican, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), in voting against the amendment offered by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), who was backed by eight other Republicans.
The vote was significant because it protected a major source of funding in Baucus's bill. Republicans were willing to reduce Medicaid payments to states to keep the legislation from adding to the federal deficit.
(More here.)
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