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Finance Committee Wraps Up Hearing on Health Care Bill--Vote Next Week

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The Senate Finance Committee worked until the wee hours of Friday morning to vote on amendments to its health care bill before adjourning until Tuesday when, after the Congressional Budget Office weighs in on the spending implications of the package, it will hold a final vote.

The delay was baked into the cake several days ago when the committee agreed not to hold a vote on a bill that hadn't received a preliminary analysis from the CBO.

The progress prompted a statement from the White House, which you can read here.

If the panel advances the legislation, Senate health care leaders, White House officials, and Majority Leader Harry Reid will meet to merge it with the more liberal HELP Committee bill, and introduced on the Senate floor later this fall.


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October 2, 2009 12:26 PM   

There's a photo that begs for a caption.

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October 2, 2009 4:48 PM    in reply to Powkat

Option A: Allow me to remove the shiv from your back, Max.
Option B: I did everything you wanted, Chuck. Can I count on your vote? Why are you smiling?
Option C: Since you don't really need me for this vote, Max, I'll just head home early.

Come on, folks. There are lots more.

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October 2, 2009 1:18 PM   

If the panel advances the legislation, Senate health care leaders, White House officials, and Majority Leader Harry Reid will meet to merge it with the more liberal HELP Committee bill, and introduced on the Senate floor later this fall.

What happens if the committee does not advance the bill? Is there any likelihood that the bill would not be advanced? If it were not to recieve a vote out of committee, would that mean that the more liberal Health Committee (HELP) version - which includes a public option - would be the bill that the full Senate would ultimately vote on?

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October 2, 2009 1:53 PM    in reply to Wordie

If the Finance Committee does not advance the bill then health insurance reform as a whole cannot proceed. It dies. They have jurisdiction over large parts of the bill. Sen. Reid cannot just bring the HELP bill to the floor without a Finance Committee bill. That's why the President has been supportive of Sen. Baucus all along. And that's why they've taken a bipartisan approach. The prospects for both health insurance reform and the public option will improve dramatically when the bill advances out of committee next week. Sen. Reid will bring it to the floor after merging it with the -as you say the more progressive- HELP bill.

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