The House passed Nancy Pelosi’s healthcare monstrosity on Saturday night with a very close 220-215 vote. One Republican (Rep. Cao of Louisiana) voted yes, and 39 Democrats voted no.
The Joint Economic Committee released an organizational chart that depicts the complexity and sheer ridiculousness of the Pelosi healthcare plan.
The bill will now make its way to the Senate where it is bound to face even more opposition. Senators on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern over the bill’s price tag. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who Democrats had hoped to have on board, has already publicly denounced the bill. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to support a Republican filibuster.
A November 10th New York Times article states:
Mr. Obama has made cost containment a centerpiece of his health reform agenda, and in May he stood up at the White House with industry groups who pledged voluntary efforts to trim the growth of health care spending by 1.5 percent, or $2 trillion, over the next decade.
But health economists say it is impossible to know whether the bills, including one passed by the House on Saturday night, would meet that goal, and many are skeptical that they even come close.
Experts — including some who have consulted closely with the White House, like Dr. Denis A. Cortese, chief executive of the Mayo Clinic — say the measures take only baby steps toward revamping the current fee-for-service system, which drives up costs by paying health providers for each visit or procedure performed. Some senators are also dissatisfied.
“My assessment at this point,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and a member of the Finance Committee, “is that the legislation is heavy on health and light on reform.”
You know it’s bad news when even Ron Wyden, one of the most liberal members of the Senate, expresses hesitation. Needless to say, the Democrats and the Obama administration will need to work magic to get this legislation through the Senate.
Taxpayers should continue to speak up and let their Senators know they oppose a government-takeover of healthcare!
Filed under: Pork
