Posted on 12/18/2009 2:09:44 PM PST by Syncro
Updated December 18, 2009
FOXNews.com
As Democrats race against the clock to pass a sweeping health care bill before Christmas, Sen. Ben Nelson, the only known Democratic holdout, has positioned himself to play Santa or the Grinch.
The Nebraska Democrat is pushing to include air-tight restrictions on abortion funding in the bill, but that's not all he wants.
Because of the $465 billion in Medicare cuts included in the Senate bill, Nelson wants help for rural hospitals and nursing homes, who he says will be hit hard. Nelson is expected to get his wish on that front, a senior Democratic aide told Fox News.
But it's not yet clear what else Democratic leaders will have to offer Nelson to win his support.
Whatever it is, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid needs to close the deal fast if he expects to keep the legislation on track for passage by Christmas. Reid is expected Saturday to release a package of changes to the bill that could run to hundreds of pages and is likely to be read aloud on the Senate floor at the request of Republicans.
*snip*
White House officials and several senior Democratic sources told Fox News that they remain confident that the impasse with Nelson can be worked out.
*snip*
Nelson has threatened to vote against the bill if it doesn't explicitly ban abortion coverage for subsidized insurance plans, even if private premiums are separated -- a distinction abortion opponents have called an accounting gimmick.
*snip*
Nelson is under intense pressure...
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This bill isn't about health care, certainly it doesn't do one lick towards reform
It's full of taxes and government control.
Hundreds of billions in taxes even before one part of this bill is implemented.
Healthcare controlled and decided by government panels instead of those in the medical field. Not good.
Will the democrats really help us little people?I've had about all the help I can manage. Any more "help" and I'm going to have to start selling body parts...
Even if that jackass gets everything he wants, it can ALL be stripped out in reconciliation and the new bill with everything bad added back in can be passed with just 50 votes.
Uhh. He is a Democrat. Never forget that. There are no moderate Democrats. They are all part of the Collective.
Does anyone else find it ironic they are killing their own future voters????
I don’t think they have such foresight. lol
Like the dinosaur media alerts so goes the dinosaur political rats. They fool no one, they are all in concert, all for themselves and they will all be comiserating in 2010 when we boot thier a##es out in the street.
They are disingenuous to a gnats eyebrow.
Then they will rape it.
I hope that is not too strong of an analogy?
there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he will cave. and even if he doesn’t, there is always someone who can be bought a la mary landrieu.
Kyl told the press this afternoon that Reid aint got his 60M
The ridiculous climate deal helps us + the snowstorm. Pray for a blizzard in DC tonight and tomorrow. They are calling for 12 to 20 inches of snow.
No, they would still need 60 votes. Where are you getting your information?
....he will cave....
His latest comments indicate he is almost ready. He will extract a nice price for him and his state.
Any more “help” and I’m going to have to start selling body parts...
Sorry, those body parts aren’t yours to sell,
read the fine print.
But with a procedure called The Budget Reconciliation Process I do believe they can pass it with 51 votes.
Of course they have to lie.
From Here:
For a more detailed description of The Budget Reconciliation Process: House and Senate Procedures click on the link.In the last week, Democrats have begun to talk openly of using a procedure known as budget reconciliation to pass a health bill in the Senate with a simple majority, assuming no Republican support. To do that, under Senate rules, they would probably need to show that the public plan changed federal spending or revenues and that the effects were not merely incidental to the changes in health policy.
Democrats believe they could clear this hurdle by demonstrating that the public plan would save money or cost money.
If a public plan is shown to have a cost to the government that affects outlays or revenues, it could be included in a health care bill using reconciliation procedures, said Martin P. Paone, a former Senate aide who has been consulted by Senate Democrats.
What are you talking about? Have you bothered to educate yourself before posting. Let's go over this slowly, maybe get a pencil.
They would have to start over to do that, and they are in a big hurry. They can’t take a bill that has gone through the normal process and suddenly treat it like it has been through the “reconciliation process.”
There are some other disadvantages to using reconciliation; bills passed in that manner expire in 5 years, like the GWB tax cuts.
Thank you ding dong daddy.
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