Docs Fix DOA
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just told reporters that he will not be moving Senator Debbie Stabenow's 10-year, $247 billion freeze on doctors' Medicare payments. He said he thought he had the votes – and was promised Republican 27 votes from the AMA – but has since realized he doesn't. “I don't bring anything to the floor unless I think I have the votes,” Reid said, answering a question about the apparent shortfall of support. “I was told by various people that we'd have 27 Republican votes, which seemed reasonable since Senator Jon Kyl was the co-sponsor of this legislation. So I was stunned when I was told by his co-sponsor, Senator Stabenow, that, no, he wouldn't support it.”
Reid said he's now looking at a “multiple year fix.” Jim Manley, Reid's senior adviser, said after the press conference (which happened to be on revoking health insurers' anti-trust exemption) that the majority leader hasn't decided yet how many years the fix will be, though we're still expecting a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the issue this afternoon. Senators Conrad and Grassley have proposed a two-year fix and are looking for offsets for the $24 billion bill. The $247 billion bill had no offsets.
Kyl, the No. 2 Senate Republican, yesterday told reporters that his original bill with Stabenow – which provided for a 2.6% increase in fees Medicare pays to doctors one year and a 2.7% increase a second year – was “very different legislation” than the 10-year freeze proposed by Democrats this week. No word if a curtailed solution would still appease the AMA and AARP and whether the House might consider passing a similar stand alone bill.
Update:
The vote failed cloture 47-53. Word is Reid will not bring up his multiple year fix until after the big health care reform bill passes -- whenever that may be. The AMA's statement:
“The AMA is deeply disappointed that the Senate today blocked consideration of S. 1776, legislation to preserve access to health care for America's seniors, baby boomers and military families. Senator Stabenow is a long-time champion for patients and physicians, and the AMA, AARP and MOAA strongly supported her bill that would have laid the foundation to permanently fix the Medicare physician payment formula and keep Medicare strong as millions of baby boomers enter the program in just two years.
“As we work to improve the health system, permanent repeal of the payment formula is essential to ensuring the security and stability of Medicare. On January first, Medicare physician payments are scheduled to be cut by 21 percent, with more cuts in years to come. Nearly 90 percent of people age 50 and older are concerned that the current Medicare physician payment formula threatens their access to care.
“While short-term fixes have temporarily averted widespread access problems, they have also grown the size of the problem – and the cost of reform. The AMA is committed to fixing the Medicare payment problem once and for all for seniors, baby boomers and the physicians who care for them.
“There is widespread agreement among Republicans and Democrats that the formula is broken and needs to be repealed. Congress created the Medicare physician payment system, and Congress needs to fix this problem once and for all to fulfill its obligation to seniors, baby boomers and military families. Permanent repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula is essential to comprehensive health system reform.”
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1
“I was told by various people that we'd have 27 Republican votes, which seemed reasonable since Senator Jon Kyl was the co-sponsor of this legislation. So I was stunned when I was told by his co-sponsor, Senator Stabenow, that, no, he wouldn't support it.”
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In related news, Senator Reid was also "stunned" to discover that the sun did, in fact, rise in the east this morning.
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Seriously, how many times does Reid have to get burned by Republicans before he realizes that he can't work with them? No wonder a majority of Nevadans see Reid as "weak" and "ineffective".-
1.1
Golly. Sometimes it almost seems like the GOP's whole strategy is moving goalposts and voting "no" on everything.
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http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_10/020301.php
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Will Harry Reid always be eager to play Charlie Brown to their Lucy? -
1.2
So can everyone stop pretending that Republicans are serious and trustworthy participants in trying to govern the nation? If not now, when?
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1.3
sw, you're a doofus. Why is this remotely the GOP's fault. You guys, last I f'in checked, have 60 f'in votes. Get that right.
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1.4
"Why is this remotely the GOP's fault."
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I would never blame Republicans for the fact that some people still take them seriously as public servants. Clearly, they've done everything they possibly could to render themselves ridiculous and irrelevant.
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2
Maybe they need to sweeten the pot for Kyl by adding something to the bill that makes gang rape legal.
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“I don't bring anything to the floor unless I think I have the votes,” Reid said
Indeed Reid, trying is the first step to failure.
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“I don't bring anything to the floor unless I think I have the votes,” Reid said, answering a question about the apparent shortfall of support.
...So that all the actual voting --the results that are not known to leadership beforehand -- is done in secret, through back-room negotiations.
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At some point, Americans need to elect candidates to the Senate who campaign on a platform of changing the Senate's rules from those one would expect from a banana republic's ruling cabal to those one would expect from an open, democratic society.
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At some point, Harry Reid must be removed from leadership, and replaced with leadership that seeks to change how the Senate operates. -
5
"and was promised Republican 27 votes from the AMA"
The closest the linked story comes to saying that is:
"Reid and other Democratic leaders said they would rely on doctors groups to round up enough votes to pass the “doctors fix” legislation at a time of high anxiety over the deficit."
Is there another source for that claim of promised votes?
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5.1
Reid was asked walking out who promised him the votes. He said the AMA did.
JNS -
5.2
If the bill had remained on the QT, I think those votes would still have been there, I'm guessing...
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5.3
Thanks JNS.
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[...] Time provides a little more background on why this vote fell apart: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just told reporters that he will not be moving Senator Debbie Stabenow’s 10-year, $247 billion freeze on doctors’ Medicare payments. He said he thought he had the votes – and was promised Republican 27 votes from the AMA – but has since realized he doesn’t. “I don’t bring anything to the floor unless I think I have the votes,” Reid said, answering a question about the apparent shortfall of support. “I was told by various people that we’d have 27 Republican votes, which seemed reasonable since Senator Jon Kyl was the co-sponsor of this legislation. So I was stunned when I was told by his co-sponsor, Senator Stabenow, that, no, he wouldn’t support it.” [...]
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News Flash!
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TWO-INCH TAIL WAGS 150 POUND DOG!-
7.1
Your Palin snark made the Featured Reader's Comment on the main page. Congratulations.
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7.2
...I looked but palininatowel actually wrote that comment (#10). Sacred, the High Chiefs need to pick one of your comments for the home page, such as one about Sarah (or Amy).
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7.3
Each time they've picked one of my comments they've followed it with one by rustydog or spob. I think it's a jinx like making the cover of Sports illustrated.
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Oh but Reid is respected by his colleagues. So that's something.
What we need is a parliament. Then I could vote for the Greens and they could ally with the Centrist Christian Democrats and the Pirate Party against the Republican Nationalist Party, the America First! Party, and the rump of the old Republican Party.
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8.1
Hear he and hear him! Though unable to vote, I'm thrilled to see the Social Democrats apply whatever pressure they can to advance progressive policies from within the ruling coalition here. The party chair is a minister in Hatoyama's cabinet.
The US Senate impedes democracy.
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"The vote failed cloture" - is that the one where they pretend there was a filibuster?
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Guys, when even WaPo's editorial board comes out against something like this, the handwriting's on the wall.
I know you guys want healthcare reform, but when ya gotta do things like this to get it, maybe, just maybe, it's time to go back to the drawing board.
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[...] (Yoest and Kendall, 10/21).Even before the vote, Reid talked about the expected outcome. Time's Swampland: "I don't bring anything to the floor unless I think I have the votes," Reid said to [...]
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DOCTORS ARE THE PROBLEM PEOPLE; WAKE UP!
AFTER WE ELIMINATE PRIVATE INSURANCE ALL DOCTORS WILL WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND GET PAID LESS THAN THE PRESIDENT!!!
ITS WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, LIKE EVERY OTHER DEVELOPED NATION.
DOCTORS MAKES TOOOOOO MUCH MONEY!!!!!!!!
CUT THE FAT AND GIVE EVERONE GOVERNMENT MEDICAL CARE LIKE BRITAIN, FRANCE, CANADA, ETC.....
ITS THE DOCTORS STUPID; AND HERE THEY ARE STEALING FROM US AGAIN!!!!!!
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What happens after the reform bills pass is the question. Enough reform or not, there will be enough pieces to pick up. Who will do that? Here's a possibility:
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