Pelosi Presses for a Public Option
Speaker Seeks Consensus Bill as Centrist Democrats Fret Over Impact on Health Insurers
By GREG HITT and JANET ADAMY
WSJ
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped up her push for a publicly run health plan that has divided congressional Democrats, saying it could "save enormous amounts of money."
The struggle among House Democrats came as the chamber voted 406-18 to block a scheduled increase in Medicare Part B premium payments next year. Lawmakers of both parties are trying to appeal to elderly voters who are concerned about longer-term reductions in Medicare spending included in Democratic versions of a health overhaul.
The vote Thursday would shield 11 million Medicare beneficiaries from a scheduled increase in monthly premiums for doctor's visits and outpatient services. The premiums were set to rise as high as $120 a month next year from $96.40. It was unclear how quickly the Senate would act on the measure, which has a $2.8 billion price tag.
Costs are at the center of the health-overhaul debate. House versions of a broad health bill would cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years, while a version being debated in the Senate Finance Committee this week falls slightly under President Barack Obama's proposed cap of $900 billion and doesn't include a public option.
(More here.)
By GREG HITT and JANET ADAMY
WSJ
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped up her push for a publicly run health plan that has divided congressional Democrats, saying it could "save enormous amounts of money."
The struggle among House Democrats came as the chamber voted 406-18 to block a scheduled increase in Medicare Part B premium payments next year. Lawmakers of both parties are trying to appeal to elderly voters who are concerned about longer-term reductions in Medicare spending included in Democratic versions of a health overhaul.
The vote Thursday would shield 11 million Medicare beneficiaries from a scheduled increase in monthly premiums for doctor's visits and outpatient services. The premiums were set to rise as high as $120 a month next year from $96.40. It was unclear how quickly the Senate would act on the measure, which has a $2.8 billion price tag.
Costs are at the center of the health-overhaul debate. House versions of a broad health bill would cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years, while a version being debated in the Senate Finance Committee this week falls slightly under President Barack Obama's proposed cap of $900 billion and doesn't include a public option.
(More here.)
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