Tulsa World: Senate health-care bill unveiled

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Senate health-care bill unveiled
Reid's proposal now faces long debate and melding with a House bill.

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks to the media Wednesday about the Democratic health care bill in Washington. Sens. Chris Dodd (left), D-Conn.; Al Franken, D-Minn., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., listen in the back. Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press

By DAVID ESPO Associated Press
Published: 11/19/2009 2:31 AM
Last Modified: 11/19/2009 6:08 AM

WASHINGTON — Setting up a historic year-end health care debate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled long-awaited legislation Wednesday night to extend coverage to all but 6 percent of eligible Americans and bar private industry from denying insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions.

The Nevada Democrat's $849 billion measure is designed to remake the nation's health care system, relying on cuts in future Medicare spending to cover costs — as well as on higher payroll taxes for the well-to-do and a new levy on patients undergoing elective cosmetic surgery.

Aides said the mammoth, 2,074-page bill would reduce deficits by $127 billion over a decade and by as much as $650 billion in the 10 years that follow, citing as-yet-unreleased estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.

"Tonight begins the last leg of this journey," said Reid, less than two weeks after the House approved its version of a remake of the health care system — and nearly 10 months after President Barack Obama's Inauguration Day summons to action.

There was no mention of Obama's goal of signing legislation by year's end.

Republicans vowed a long struggle to block the legislation and deny the president a victory that would cap a tumultuous first year in office.

"This bill has been behind closed doors for weeks," said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. "Now, it's America's turn, and this will not be a short debate. Higher premiums, tax increases and Medicare cuts to pay for more government. The American people know that is not reform."

An early showdown on the Senate floor is expected by week's end.

Reid's Senate measure would require most Americans to carry health insurance and would provide hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to help those at lower incomes afford it. It also would mandate that large companies to provide coverage to their workers.

Beginning in 2014, it would set up new insurance marketplaces — called exchanges — primarily for those who now have a hard time getting or keeping coverage.

Ahead lie weeks — if not more — of unpredictable maneuvering on the Senate floor, where Reid and his allies will seek to incorporate changes sought by Democrats and repel attempts by Republicans to defeat the legislation and inflict a significant political defeat on the president.

Bills differ

Senate majority leader Harry Reid proposed an outline that is similar to the House-passed bill, but there were important differences.

He called for an increase of a half percentage point in the medicare payroll tax for individuals with income of more than $200,000 a year, $250,000 for couples.

He included a tax on high-value insurance policies, meant to curb the appetite for expensive care.

The House bill contains neither of those two provisions, relying on an income tax surcharge on the wealthy to finance an expansion of coverage.

Reid’s measure also calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts in future medicare spending, an attempt to satisfy Obama’s call to curtail the growth of health care spending that is fiercely opposed by Republicans.

By DAVID ESPO Associated Press

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	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (11/19/2009 10:06:40 AM) When the American seniors realize how money is being cut from Medicare it will forever doom the Democrat Party.
	Report Comment longhorn sam, westex (11/19/2009 10:47:33 AM) Medicare already declines treatment for seniors at a rate of 2 to 1 over other insurance companies. Cutting 500 billion plus from Medicare will not be good for seniors at all.
	Report Comment HH66, Dithering (11/19/2009 12:44:36 PM) From Drudge Report & John Boehner - "Just like the original 2,032-page, government-run health care plan from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) massive, 2,074-page bill would levy a new “abortion premium” fee on Americans in the government-run plan. Beginning on line 7, p. 118, section 1303 under “Voluntary Choice of Coverage of Abortion Services” the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run health plan. Leader Reid’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions (line 13, p. 120). What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run health plan. It’s right there beginning on line 11, page 122, section 1303, under “Actuarial Value of Optional Service Coverage.” The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account – and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services. Section 1303(a)(2)(C) describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run health plan and for those who are given an affordability credit to purchase insurance coverage that includes abortion through the Exchange. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month."
	Report Comment Elusive, Owasso (11/20/2009 4:44:51 AM) Who are the 6% that would not be covered? Did you notice how they always point out the good things about the bill and not the bad?

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