U.S. Senate Democrats Agree To Deal On Health Care Reform

Photograph of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaking to reporters as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., left, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, listen by Harry Hamburg

The NY Times reports, "Senate Democrats said on Saturday that they had clinched an agreement on a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and that they were on track to approve the legislation by Christmas over fierce Republican opposition."

Holdout Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) told his colleagues he would support the bill this morning. This comes after 13 hours of negotiations, during which Nelson won "concessions to limit the availability of abortions in insurance sold in newly created exchanges, as well as tens of million in federal Medicaid funds for his home state." Nelson said, "Change is never easy, but change is what’s necessary in America. And that’s why I intend to vote. for health care reform.”

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According to the AP, "One Democratic official said an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office to be released later Saturday would estimate a deficit savings of more than $130 billion over 10 years, and the possibility of much more in the subsequent decade. Forecasters said the bill would expand coverage to roughly 94 percent of eligible Americans under age 65, a total that excludes illegal immigrants."

President Obama is expected to speak about the news shortly.

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By Jen Chung in News on December 19, 2009 1:16 PM

Comments [rss]

VanessaNYC

Dead Himmler,

This one goes out to you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4

Dead Himmler

I would like to see evryone have health insurance but this will ruin the system. There is a reason why we have the best healthcare system in the world and why Americans are the healthiest. Now there is going to be death squads and people could be waiting forever to receive life saving surgery. People could be dying in the streets. This should scare everyone.

VanessaNYC

And your "death squads" talk is absolute poop. It really sounds as though you haven't done your research before you formed such a strong opinion on the subject.

VanessaNYC

Dead Himmler,

We absolutely DO NOT have the best health care in the world. In fact, we fall just above most developing nations and far below other industrialized nations. The best health care in the world, according to the World Health Organization (and based on life expectancy, treatment of preventable diseases, infant mortality, cost, etc) is FRANCE.

France is number 1.

USA is number 37.

WAKE UP!!!

Dead Himmler

I meant death panels not death squads but it will be like the same thing.

Mordicai

Call me team "Kill the Bill." Nelson wants to use backdoor shady dealings to restrict coverage to legal medical procedures in order to appeal to his conservative constituents. A bill that doesn't cover abortion-- that in fact goes out of its way to make it harder to get them-- is a travesty.

Nice to know women's health is negotiable. But hey, I bet Viagra coverage is nice & free. Go team old white guy!

Mordicai

There are death panels already. They are called insurance companies. & the more they deny your claim, the more money they make. They are incentivized to deny claims & coverage.

Pay attention to reality.

EastRiver

The profits of the health insurance companies are miniscule compared to the cost of health care spending in this country. This is not intended to be a defense of the insurance companies. The reality is that most of the money you pay in premiums goes right back out the door to pay for care (plus cover the cost of administration). Take away their profits and it wouldn't come close to covering the cost of providing coverage for the uninsured and the underinsured. People are so focused on the insurance companies as if their profits alone are the reason the US pays more per capita for health care then other industrialized countries. The reality is some people are consuming too much healthcare. And judging from the reaction to the recommendation that women not in a high risk group for breast cancer wait until 50 for regular mammograms makes me wonder how we're ever going to get spending under control.