After weeks of head-banging negotiations, House Democrats finally got the breakthrough they needed on health care.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has cut the cost of his bill and cut a deal to reconvene his committee and vote on the Democrats' sweeping health care proposals, with a goal of completing work by the time lawmakers leave town for the summer on Friday.
Full Story »
The Blue Dogs also succeeded in cutting $100 billion from the overall cost of the bill, bringing the total price tag under $1 trillion. The legislation will now exempt small businesses with a payroll less than $500,000 from paying for any government-sponsored health coverage – double the $250,000 in the initial draft. Doctors and other health care providers would also be allowed to negotiate their payment rates with the government-sponsored health care arm.
I hope the House puts back the 250,000 cut off I think it exempts way to many at the 500,000 level, or
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters on Wednesday that he believes Obama should “scrap” the House Democratic health-care proposal and start over again.
You can count on the Republicans spending all summer working on ways to tear down the bills.
My big grip is the exemption of small business I'd accept a tiered exemption but not a flat exemption ALL Americans need to own up and take care of the uninsured as well as fix the gross underinsured problem.