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NEWS
Health Care Vote Set For Saturday Night – Associated Press
The Senate has a test vote on a health care reform bill scheduled for Saturday night.
Reid, as Legislative Tactician, Takes Ownership of Health Care Overhaul – New York Times
Now it is Senator Harry Reid’s health care bill.
A Health-Care Pep Talk for Senate Dems – Time
With health reform’s first test vote on the Senate floor less than 72 hours away, a platoon of top strategists — including pollsters Mark Mellman and Geoff Garin, incoming White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer and deputy White House chief of staff Jim Messina — met with Democratic Senators Thursday afternoon to impress upon those who might be wavering that everyone’s political fate is now joined with the success or failure of President Obama’s top domestic priority.
CBPP: Despite Insufficient Subsidies, Senate Health Care Bill Enormous Step Forward – TPM
The left-of-center Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, which was critical of a number of provisions in the Senate Finance Committee’s health care proposal, has much, much kinder words for the full Senate bill that Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled this week.
Insurance Industry Criticizes Senate Bill – New York Times
The insurance industry lobby is panning the Senate legislation.The lobbying group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said in a statement on Thursday that the bill would increase costs for individuals, families and employers; reduce benefits for older Americans; and threaten employer coverage.
Sen. Lieberman Lies, Says "Public Option" Wasn’t Part Of Presidential Campaign – Media Matters
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told Politico that no one mentioned a public option during the 2008 presidential campaign. Unfortunately for him, historical fact directly contradicts his new conservative talking point.
OPINION
Joe Lieberman Is Hallucinating – Jon Cohn
The Connecticut Senator says that President Obama didn’t favor a public plan when he ran for president.
REPORT: How The Senate Bill Compares To Other Reform Legislation – Think Progress
The Congressional Budget Office analysis of the recently released Senate health bill has concluded that compared to the Senate Finance Committee’s bill, the merged legislation makes a stronger contribution towards deficit reduction even though it includes (among other things): 1) more affordability credits for middle class families and a public option, 2) a strong individual requirement to purchase coverage, 3) and a lower threshold for the excise tax on so-called Cadillac health plans. An increase in the payroll tax for individuals/families earning $200,000/$250,000 makes up for the loss in revenue from the excise tax, while the later implementation date (the bill moves the start dates for the individual mandate, exchanges, and employer penalties from July 1, 2013 to January 1, 2014) helps increase the deficit savings in the merged legislation.
(compiled for Health Care for America Now)
2 Comments
Will someone explain EXACTLY what a “so-called Cadillac health plan(s)” is?
And Jason, here’s a thought for y’all; the push out of the effective date is based on what the ‘powers that be’ think will be a date when the taxation will up to what they think it will need to be in order for the program to have some success.
It’s all well and good to do away right away with ‘pre-existing condition’ bans but when so many are unemployed, where are they supposed to get the money to buy insurance? And a reminder for everyone; unemployment monies are taxed by the FEDS; who on Capitol Hill is calling for a rescission of such taxation?
During the period before implementation, uninsured will be able to buy into a high-risk pool. It’s not a permanent solution, but it should work for most folks in the interim.
As for Cadillac, here’s some further info: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/9519