Posted on 10/17/2009 11:04:22 AM PDT by Libloather
House, Senate Democrats disagree over taxes, other health care issues
Erica Werner, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - It's not just Democrats and Republicans who are at odds over health care reform. House and Senate Democrats are going after each other over the shape of the legislation that is President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.
The disputes among Democrats may prove the most grueling test of all as Congress tries to write a bill that fulfills Obama's goal of extending health care coverage to millions of Americans and reining in rising medical costs.
The disagreements extend well beyond whether or not to allow the government to sell insurance in competition with the private market, though fissures over the so-called public plan - preferred in the House, less so in the Senate - have drawn the most attention.
Some of the toughest fights loom over what requirements should be placed on employers to see that their workers are covered, and perhaps stickiest of all, how to make coverage affordable and pay for extending it to millions of uninsured.
Senators would tax high-value health insurance plans to pay for covering the uninsured, an approach supporters say would curb health costs because it would lead to employers offering less generous benefits. The more populist House would tax the highest-income people, placing the burden of caring for the neediest Americans on the backs of millionaires.
"I don't know how you split that difference," said Rep. Artur Davis, an Alabama Democrat who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "It's not just about numbers. These are philosophical differences about how you pay for reform."
(Excerpt) Read more at thespec.com ...
Wish just one of these media clowns would get it right. It not health care coverage he is extending, everyone has that. It is Health Insurance coverage. A lot of Dear Reader's supporters are going to be shocked to learn they are NOT getting "Free health care" but a mandate that they have to BUY Health Insurance.
I wonder if this dispute will be solved the way the White House’s favorite political philospher would have solved such a problem. Mao Zedong would have just had them all shot.
That's the fault of the lame-stream media. If you ask anyone especially an 0bama supporter, they'll tell you the fight is over free health care. Then ask them "If it's free why do they need to fine people for not taking it?". They'll kind of look at you confused. People just don't understand the avalanche of crap headed their way, because the popular media paints it as government sponsered free-to-you health care.
That's the fault of the lame-stream media. If you ask anyone especially an 0bama supporter, they'll tell you the fight is over free health care. Then ask them "If it's free why do they need to fine people for not taking it?". They'll kind of look at you confused. People just don't understand the avalanche of crap headed their way, because the popular media paints it as government sponsered free-to-you health care.
Let’s see you have dimoKKKRATS going after each other. Then you have Olympia Snowe and her ilk on the Republican side tying to make up there minds on which dimoKKKRAT side to join up with. Then you have Republicans not wanting any part of it. Quite a glorious mess and hopefully nothing will get done.
Has it occured to anyone but me that since Nov. 2008 all the RATS have talked about is more taxs and fees and killing people? See healthcare reform.
“Is there a doctor in da house?”
Hey—I got a white lab coat—does that count?
What's wrong with that?
“What’s wrong with that?”
Not a thing and that is my position. I was just describing the various factions.
All battles between Democrats should be fought out in the open, no cover, with automatic weapons and an unlimited supply of ammunition and magazines. I'll even kick in to cover some of the ammo costs.
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