TPMDC
Key Senators React To Passage Of The Finance Committee Health Care Bill
Brian Beutler | October 13, 2009, 3:02PM
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Share
Send to a friend!
In the wake of the successful vote on the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill, key senators weighed in on the most hot button issues at the heart of the reform fight: the public option and budget reconciliation. Both Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer said during the hearing that the final package must include a public option.
But after the vote, in a response to a question from TPMDC, Schumer said, "I'm not drawing any lines in the sand." But, he added in response to a separate question, that the recent AHIP/PwC analysis make the ultimate inclusion of the public option "more likely."
On the separate issue of whether this means Democrats can avoid turning to the controversial budget reconciliation process, Finance chairman Max Baucus told reporters that he's "very confident" that the bipartisan vote today will be able to pass health care reform through the regular order.
We'll bring you more responses as they flow in.
Other Stories Featured at TPMDC
Join the Conversation!
Leave a comment
Follow us!
PollTracker
Most Popular
- How Clemmons Went From Prisoner To Alleged Cop Killer -- And Why It Matters For Mike Huckabee
- Another Huckabee Pardon
- Why Are Dem Voters Now Less Motivated Than Republicans?
- CBO: Health Care Reform Will Lower Out-Of-Pocket Burden For Most Consumers
- Bachmann: Just Over A Year Ago, The Private Economy Was 100% Private
- Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape To Justify Iraq War
- Radio Host Bill Press: Glenn Beck Is A 'Ticking Time Bomb' Who Will 'Explode In The Face Of Roger Ailes'
- Family Guy Mocks Chris Matthews' Inflated Ego
- Latest High-Flying Accused Ponzi Schemer Has Ties To Indiana Guv
- Limbaugh: Obama Is 'Wimpy Little Man-Child'
- Obama Issues New Orders On Afghanistan
- Why Are Dem Voters Now Less Motivated Than Republicans?
- Dems Add Entitlement Reform To Packed Agenda Ahead of 2010 Elections
- Huckabee Cites System's 'Failures' In Response To Washington Police Killings
- Gibbs: Social Office Not Problem With Dinner Crashers
- How Clemmons Went From Prisoner To Alleged Cop Killer -- And Why It Matters For Mike Huckabee
- Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape To Justify Iraq War
- Radio Host Bill Press: Glenn Beck Is A 'Ticking Time Bomb' Who Will 'Explode In The Face Of Roger Ailes'
- Bachmann: Just Over A Year Ago, The Private Economy Was 100% Private
- Progressives (and Obama) are Doing Better Than We Think -- and We Won't Know What We've Got 'Til It's Gone
- Not Getting Distracted
- Why Have We Subjugated Ourselves?
- Obstructionism Trumps Transparency
- Jeff Goldberg Faults Obama For Suggesting Settlement Expansion Leads To Violence
- Progressives (and Obama) are Doing Better Than We Think -- and We Won't Know What We've Got 'Til It's Gone
- A Dime In My Pocket
- Great Moments in CNN Journalism
- Return to Sender: Feigning Indifference & Losing My Religion
- The Pivot
- Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics
TPM Stories Now Surging on Digg.com
TPM Top News
© 2009 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Stroszek
October 13, 2009 3:13 PM
Baucus is no longer the King of Health Care Reform.
That alone is reason to be happy.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
cmpnwtr
October 13, 2009 3:14 PM
Interesting to see what punishment Snowe gets for joining the forces of Satan. Interesting to see if she leaves the GOP if they pull that stunt.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mcc
October 13, 2009 3:31 PM in reply to cmpnwtr
Frankly, I'd be okay with that. It would mean her behavior for the next few years would improve noticeably. Maybe she'd even come out against prop. 1 :P
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mcc
October 13, 2009 3:32 PM
Freeee!
So what happens now? I'm still a little confused by this conference committee that will merge the bills. Who is on it? Can we pressure them or otherwise influence the outcome of the conference process?
I know Chris Dodd made some strong statements saying that as representative of HELP in the conference he would fight for a strong bill with a public option.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
October 13, 2009 3:36 PM in reply to mcc
Reid, Baucus, Dodd, Orszag, Emanuel, and DeParle will be the main players.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mans_best_friend
October 13, 2009 4:11 PM in reply to mcc
Traditionally it's the chairs of the various committees with input into the bill, plus the Majority Leader. Also traditionally the minority party gets one or more chairs at the table, but the R's routinely ignored this when they were in power.
This is where the sausage-making begins in earnest.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 13, 2009 3:38 PM
To see why the AHIP PWC agitprop makes a public option more likely, take a look at what happened with the credit card law--because you can bet a few people in Congress are.
Back when Congress was considering the Credit CARD Act last spring, the banking industry made a lot of dire predictions about the terrible, terrible things that would happen to consumers if Congress put limited restrictions on their ability to deceive and generally crap on their customers. When the bill passed, the banks pretty much moved in lockstep to make their dire predictions come true, not because economic logic compelled them to do so but in order to punish and discipline Congress. Those moves created opportunities for some of them to steal business from others by not jacking up rates or cutting credit limits the way the others were doing, but, mostly they didn't do it.
They ignored competitive opportunities in order to participate in a round of price increases and credit squeezes. Given that, one could argue that their dire warnings really constituted the first phase of a tacit anti-trust conspiracy to raise rates and blame Congress.
The health insurance industry has just put Congress and the rest of us on notice that it's ready to implement a similar tacit conspiracy and there's nothing in the Baucus bill to stop them.
When Democrats in Congress get a sniff of a similar plot to jack up premiums and blame Democrats in Congress, a mechanism to deter them from doing so has to be looking more attractive to a few of them.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mans_best_friend
October 13, 2009 4:19 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
I hadn't thought about the connection with the CARD bill, but you're spot on. The AHIP report was such a transparent shot across the bow (how else to interpret it?) that it can't help but have the opposite of the intended effect. All they did was give more ammo to those pushing for a PO. The teabaggery and other assorted nonsense has mostly petered out and it appears to me that momentum for a PO is increasing.
I still believe they're going to have to make some kind of compromise to satisfy the Blue Dogs, if only to give them some sort of fig leaf to cover their asses with the folks back home. But it's beginning to look more like a small compromise rather than a substantial one.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Tanjaoui
October 14, 2009 12:28 AM in reply to mans_best_friend
Hoping Snowe can be talked out of triggers, Conrad out of co-ops, both satisfied with a default in, opt-out national public option looking like Medicare. Didn't follow Conrad's objection to Medicare rates: aren't they standard and by procedure? And I'm thinking he'll come around on the p.o. since he spent so much time dwelling on his objections to one feature of one of the stronger versions of it.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Lucieann
October 13, 2009 3:44 PM
If Baucus stays true to his word when he displayed such anger about AHIP, then he will support a robust public option!! I am waiting to exhale~
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
theone718
October 13, 2009 5:40 PM
Am I the only one that thinks she saved Max Baucus' political career?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Tanjaoui
October 13, 2009 6:23 PM
Ever faint of heart, I received an e-mail from PNHP they contend a public plan will become a dumping ground for all the people the private plans can avoid covering. So, that got me wondering how ironclad regulations are on private industry in the various proposals under consideration in the Senate. These are physicians, at PNHP; they ought to know how this kind of thing works. Dunno. Not saying it's not worth fighting for, but it's a legit concern.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?