Health Care Update

The Senate continues to make health care sausage. Raw sausage will look good compared to what they finally settle upon, but I digress.

The public option’s out, but they still want to put Medicare on the fast track to bankruptcy.

The agreement capped several days of high-stakes negotiations by a group of 10 Democratic senators — five moderates and five liberals. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) had advanced a bill that would have had the government directly operate a health-insurance plan, while giving states the right to opt out.

In place of that, the senators embraced a more limited proposal that would empower the government’s Office of Personnel Management to put in place a new low-cost national health plan, congressional aides said. The office already administers plans offered to federal employees and members of Congress. That plan would be run by nonprofit entities set up by the private sector, and would be available to the public on the new insurance exchanges that would be created under the bill.

It doesn’t get much better from there.

As far as abortion, the democrats voted down the Nelson amendment restricting federal funding of abortion.

The Senate voted Tuesday to reject the strict antiabortion Nelson amendment to healthcare reform, but the abortion issue is still very much a factor as Democratic leaders seek to pass reform by Christmas.

Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the lead Democrat backing the abortion restrictions, has said that he would oppose healthcare reform legislation that does not ban abortion coverage for women who receive federal subsidies to purchase private insurance. The amendment, which duplicated a provision by Reps. Bart Stupak (D) of Michigan and Joseph Pitts (R) of Pennsylvania that passed in the House version of reform, also would have barred abortion coverage in any government-run health plan.

The Nelson amendment was defeated 54 to 45.

I would almost celebrate the abortion amendment being voted down. Not because I want taxpayer funds paying for abortions, but because you would think that if abortions are covered all those “socially conservative” democrats will vote against the bill. But we all know they’ve been bluffing all along.

Addendum: Olympia Snowe said she’s opposed to the Medicare buy in idea. I’m sure her invitation to the White House for a pep talk from Dear Leader is in the mail.

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