Reid Still Looking For 60 Votes

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is still seeking support from a number of Senate Democrats who have yet committed to support his healthcare reform package. As reported, a compromise package was negotiated between a select group of liberal and moderate Senate Democrats, which Reid has sent to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for an official cost and coverage estimate. Those results are expected within the next few days. It is likely that the cost estimate of the compromise will come in at an increased cost to the overall healthcare reform package. The provision that will most significantly lead to the increase will be the proposed lower of Medicare eligibility to 55 years of age. Medicare premiums are significantly higher that those expected in the proposed exchanges, so any subsidies for eligible low-income workers or early retirees will be more expensive for taxpayers. The expected increase in cost as well as the expansion of a public entitlement program raises the most concern among non-committed Senate moderates.

SIIA’s Government Relations Staff has identified the following Senators who still have concerns with the Senate healthcare reform package. SIIA staff urges all SIIA members who live and/or cover lives in States represented by these Senators, to continue to contact their offices to raise our concerns with the current proposal.

Evan Bayh – (D-IN)

Susan Collins – (R-ME)

Kent Conrad – (D-ND)

Mary Landrieu – (D-LA)

Joe Lieberman – (I-CT)

Blanch Lincoln – (D-AR)

Clair McCaskill – (D-MO)

Ben Nelson – (D-NE)

Mark Pryor – (D-AR)

Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Mark Warner (D-VA)

Jim Webb (D-VA)

As Senators continue to meet to negotiate and resolve differences, and as Reid rushes to have healthcare reform passed by the end of the year, immediate correspondence is strongly urged.

Government Agency Reports that Senate Health Bill Will Increase Healthcare Costs

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) release a report today that estimates the Senate’s healthcare reform package will increases national healthcare costs by $234 billion over the next decade if the proposal were to be enacted in its current form. This finding runs contrary to President Obama’s assurance that healthcare reform will decrease, not increase costs. The report also estimates that 17 million Americans currently covered through employer-sponsored coverage, would no longer continue to remain in the Employer-Based Healthcare System. Additionally, CMS estimates that 23 million currently uninsured Americans would remain so under the Senate’s bill

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This entry was posted by Adam V. Russo on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 8:54 am and is filed under Health Care Legislation, Medicaid, Medicare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.