FAA

Are Senate Dems About To Cave On GOP Union-Busting?

Brian Beutler | February 6, 2012, 5:20AM

Image from Pushkin/ Shutterstock

Senate Democrats and organized labor have reached a make or break moment over House-passed legislation that will make it harder for transportation workers to unionize.

One labor official said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) had "sold out" workers, by striking a deal with Republicans on a long-term reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration programs -- and they have a brief window in which to set things right.

The issue goes back months.

Read more »

FAA

Dems Pick Apart Key GOP Argument Against Passing Senate Payroll Tax Cut Bill

Brian Beutler | December 19, 2011, 6:16PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

One argument House Republican leaders -- including Speaker John Boehner -- are making about their refusal to adopt the Senate's payroll tax cut compromise is a throwback to old times. They note that "regular order" in Congress is for the House and Senate each to pass legislation and to then convene a conference committee where members from each chamber meet to iron out the differences between the bills.

That's "regular order" in a traditional sense, but it's not even close to how this Congress has operated in practice. Case in point: both the House and Senate have passed legislation to reauthorize federal aviation programs on a semi-permanent basis. One key area of disagreement between the parties is a provision in the House bill that would make it much more difficult for rail and airline workers to unionize -- just the sort of provision that could be the focal point of negotiations in a conference committee.

But House Republicans won't let that happen, and have pushed a series of temporary reauthorizations instead.

Read more »

Jobs

Reid Casts Doubt On Unanimous Dem Support For Obama Jobs Bill

Brian Beutler | October 5, 2011, 1:27PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

At a Wednesday Capitol press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) again couldn't confidently predict that President Obama's jobs bill has the support of the entire Democratic caucus -- even after leadership tweaked some of its controversial measures to broaden party support for the plan.

"I don't know what 'unanimity' means," Reid told reporters. "We'll get most all the Democrats."

Unanimity, of course, means all Democrats -- which will be important. If one or two Democrats defect from the bill, Republicans can (and will) say that the opposition to the plan is bipartisan.

There's a chance that he could unite the party, particularly after replacing Obama's proposed tax measures with a simpler five percent surtax on millionaires to pay for the jobs programs.

Read more »

FAA

Reid Letter To Boehner Urges Swift FAA Fix Despite Congressional Recess

Susan Crabtree | August 3, 2011, 6:20PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has fired off a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) offering an urgent compromise on Congress' latest impasse: the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The move comes just hours after President Barack Obama slammed the imbroglio for creating a "lose-lose-lose situation" and urged Congress to resolve the matter before the end of the week.

Complicating matters is the fact that many lawmakers are about to leave DC, or have left already, as this year's Congressional recess has now begun.

Read more »

Health Care

The GOP Proposes 'Obamacare' For Seniors -- Just Don't Tell Democrats Or Republicans That

Brian Beutler | April 15, 2011, 9:38AM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

If I told you that the chairman of the Republican senators' reelection committee wanted to phase out the existing Medicare system and slowly replace it with Obamacare, would you believe me? No major caveats, no clever tricks. Just a slow transition from Medicare as we know it to the same health care law Republicans have sued and attempted to repeal -- but for seniors only.

You probably wouldn't. But you'd be wrong.

The long-term Republican budget plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) phases out Medicare as a guaranteed, universal, single-payer system and replaces it with a government-subsidized private insurance program. If that sounds familiar, it should.

"It's exactly like Obamacare," said NRSC chairman Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Capitol Thursday. "It is. It's exactly like it. Which strikes me as bizarre that you're seeing so much pushback [from Democrats]."

Read more »

WV-SEN

Could The Dems Lose Robert Byrd's Seat?

Eric Kleefeld | September 27, 2010, 8:32AM

Joe Manchin with the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

Another Democratic-held seat has emerged as a hotly-contested race this year: The West Virginia seat held by Dem Sen. Robert Byrd for over 50 years, until his death this past June created an opening in a state that has been trending to the GOP for the last decade.

Early on in this race, things looked especially good for Democrats. They'd recruited popular Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin to run for the seat, while the Republicans' strongest potential candidate, five-term Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, announced that she would not run. Instead, the Republicans ended up getting behind a long-time unsuccessful candidate, businessman John Raese. Manchin appointed a former aide, Carte Goodwin, to hold the seat but not run for a full term.

Raese previously ran for the Senate way back in 1984, losing by a narrow 52%-48% against Democrat Jay Rockefeller, in an open-seat race held in the middle of the Reagan landslide that year. He ran again in 2006 as Byrd's Republican challenger, spending $2.2 million of his own money on that race, and ultimately losing by a much heftier 64%-36% against a long-standing incumbent who was very much a state political institution.

But now things have started to get very close. The reason is simple: President Obama is highly unpopular in West Virginia.

Read more »

Jay Rockefeller

Crossing His Fingers: Rockefeller Hopes Summit Renewed Trust Between House And Senate Dems

Brian Beutler | February 26, 2010, 9:00AM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), a participant in yesterday's health care summit, and a long-time advocate of reform, believes the Republicans' stubborn performance was enough to unite feuding House Democrats and Senate Democrats. The two camps are suffering from a crisis of trust after a contentious year--a schism that will have to be bridged if health care is to pass.

Last night, after a late vote, I caught Rockefeller in the hallway just off the Senate floor and asked him how Democrats plan to come together in the wake of the summit. "Well, to be honest with you, I think today as we all sat and watched what unfolded, I think that there was a feeling that there was more of a bonding between House and Senate Democrats and that the Republicans acted so irresponsibly, it was stunning actually," Rockefeller said.

Read more »

Public Option

Rockefeller Reaffirms Opposition To Passing Public Option Through Reconciliation

Brian Beutler | February 24, 2010, 9:51AM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) says there's no sense in trying at this point. The public option should be put aside for the moment, so that health care reform can pass unperturbed--particularly because the measure on offer has already been watered down to a great degree.

"I fought for a meaningful public option, both in the Senate Finance Committee and on the Senate floor," Rockefeller says in a new statement. "My version didn't pass out of committee and other versions were watered down. Unfortunately, there simply has not been enough support to date to pass a strong public option, despite these efforts."

I will continue to support viable options for enacting a robust public plan. Right now, however, there is no value for the American people in diminishing a meaningful public option so substantially that it exists in name only -- and that is why we must focus our attention on the many great private health insurance reform ideas on the table today.

Rockefeller took a similar position on the issue of drug reimportation--a policy he supports and which may have had enough votes to pass in the Senate, but which was met with resistance by leading Democrats seeking to preserve industry's support for health care reform. You can read the entire statement below the fold.

Read more »

Public Option

How Outside Groups And Vulnerable Dems Gave The Public Option A New Pulse

Brian Beutler | February 23, 2010, 10:37AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

The public option has been alive, then dead, then alive, then dead so many times now it's enough to make your head spin. Right now it's somewhere in between--an undead public option, still beloved by a large majority of Democrats, but, for now, lacking the political leadership needed to usher it through the legislative process. Nevertheless, the fact that it has a pulse is remarkable in and of itself...so how did we get here all over again? Though the latest action is all in the Senate, the momentum re-emerged in the House.

"We had heard on the House side that [Colorado Rep. Jared] Polis was talking behind the scenes with folks about why a public option wasn't being pushed," says Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee--one of several progressive pressure groups (including Democracy for America, and Credo) pushing the public option.

That touched off a symbiotic relationship. If Polis, and fellow public option supporter Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) would work the inside game in the House, the groups would build pressure from the outside, and together they could build a formidable list of signatories to a letter.

Read more »

Jay Rockefeller

Rockefeller Backs Away From Public Option--Is He Bluffing?

Brian Beutler | February 23, 2010, 9:06AM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Last night, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)--a long-time public option advocate--dealt a rough blow to members and progressives who think Democrats should pass the popular measure using the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process.

"I'm probably not going to vote for that," Rockefeller said. "I don't think the timing of it is very good."

Earlier in the evening, in a brief interview with TPMDC, Rockefeller expressed concern that playing hardball with the public option at this time could imperil reform, but he didn't say he'd oppose it.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama To Dems: Don't Screw Up This Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity

Brian Beutler | December 15, 2009, 4:10PM

President Barack Obama

With the public option dead, and likely not coming back to life, President Obama huddled with Senate Democrats at the White House today bringing a familiar message: "get this done."

According to Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), about a dozen senators, including Joe Lieberman (I-CT) spoke up at the gathering, many offering their displeasure with the fact that the public option, and its potential alternatives have been scrapped.

"Today was a very frank articulation of what's at stake for the country, and what's at stake for us, that we're not going to get a chance like this for a long, long time," Casey told reporters, "maybe not in our lifetimes."

Read more »

Health Care

Are Pro-Public Option Senators Mourning The Loss Of The Medicare Buy In?

Brian Beutler | December 14, 2009, 7:46PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Joe Lieberman is the man of the hour. But though he's threatening to filibuster the Democrats' health care bill, he did not speak at an impromptu caucus meeting on the legislation this evening. Perhaps that's because he appears to have won this round: The Medicare buy-in--the key feature of a public option compromise reached tentatively last week--is now being discussed in the past tense by some of its most ardent proponents.

One member who did speak, according to a source briefed on the meeting, was Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), who offered an impassioned plea. "Don't let these obstructionists win," Specter reportedly said. "I came to this caucus to be your 60th vote." His words were met with a loud applause, which was audible through the doors of the LBJ room, and down the hall toward the Senate chamber.

But that applause may belie the reality--that the chief items on the Democrats' wish list appear to be dead or dying. The public option is gone from the Senate bill. The Medicare buy-in, which was supposed to take its place, is on life support at best.

Read more »

Kent Conrad

Conrad: Medicare Buy In Not A Deal Breaker

Brian Beutler | December 9, 2009, 10:59AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) has been sharply critical of a proposal, now part of a tentative deal between key Democratic health care negotiators, to allow people aged 55-64 to purchase insurance through Medicare. Now that the deal seems all but locked in, I asked Conrad whether the compromise is a deal breaker for him.

"No," Conrad said. "What I've told the leadership and what I've told your colleagues, other reporters, is, I have to see a CBO analysis, and I have to see what has been proposed in writing. All I've seen is, kind of, thumbnail descriptions, and I've not seen CBO analysis. And that's very important to knowing whether or not I can support it.

Conrad's resistance to growing Medicare rolls is based on his complaint that the program doesn't pay hospitals and doctors in North Dakota enough for their services. That critique has drawn sharp rebuke from his colleague, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who helped negotiate the buy-in proposal.

Abortion

Will Health Care Reform All Come Down To Ben Nelson?

Brian Beutler | December 8, 2009, 3:19PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-MA)

Half a day later, we know a lot more about where the key players who will determine the fate of health care reform stand on a burgeoning public option compromise. Unfortunately, there's still a substantial lack of clarity about where we go from here.

The long and short of it is this: It is possible that Democrats will reach a consensus on a plan to trade the public option for several concessions, including a plan, supported by progressives, to allow people age 55-64 to buy into Medicare. That could be the grand bargain that allows health care to pass the Senate. But not a single Republican--including Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)--seems to support the ideas on offer. And with Democrats unable to lose a single vote, one of them--Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)--could defect over the issue of abortion.

As I reported this afternoon, Snowe (R-ME) says she's not a fan of the ideas coming out of series of meetings between Democrats seeking accord on the public option. Snowe didn't explicitly say she'd filibuster the health care bill if that compromise emerges, but she has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid she doesn't support the idea.

That makes it seem quite likely that Reid needs all 60 of his members to support whatever compromise comes out of the negotiations. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) made no promises, but seemed open to the trade-off on the table. Optimistically, that makes 59.

Read more »

Health Care

Rockefeller Whacks Conrad For Criticizing Medicare Buy-In: 'I'm Tired Of Hearing About That From Him'

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2009, 5:11PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is one of the first senators to publicly criticize a Medicare buy-in proposal offered by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), telling reporters today that he opposes plans that use Medicare levels of reimbursement, which he's long said would harm hospitals in North Dakota.

Conrad says he needs answers: "If you expand medicare, what kind of a risk pool is that going to be? How is that going to affect the Medicare risk pool? What's that going to do to rates, what's that going to do to medicare solvency?" he asked rhetorically. "We don't have answers to those questions."

Rockefeller didn't take too kindly to this.

"I'm really very tired of hearing about that from him," an exasperated Rockefeller told reporters. "And it's always about North Dakota, and it's never about any other part of the country. And I thought, you know, that's what we're trying to do--we're trying to do the best thing for the country as a whole."

Ouch! We'll try to get more clarity on how far Conrad's opposition stretches. The key question in all of this, after all, is whether the compromise that comes out of the negotiating sessions between liberal and conservative Democrats can garner 60 votes. A Medicare buy-in would allow some people under the age of 65 to purchase their insurance through Medicare, which would likely charge much lower premiums than the private market.

Read more »

Health Care

Key Senators Confirm Medicare Buy-In As Part Of A Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2009, 4:47PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

A number of key Senators--including Chuck Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) confirmed today that a Medicare buy-in is being discussed as an option as part of a grand compromise on a public option.

"It's an option, it's being discussed, it does have some issues that are being raised, but it remains--it's on the table," Kerry told reporters.

The idea was introduced to the discussion by Rockefeller, who told reporters that it's still unclear whether it would ultimately be a replacement for the public option.

"I think that's one of the reasons it was brought up, but you don't do everything in juxtaposition with something else always."

Read more »

Harry Reid

Face Off: Liberal And Conservative Democrats Huddle To Reach Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 4, 2009, 6:32PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

It's crunch time! In a rare face-to-face meeting between conservative and liberals members, a number of key Democrats huddled behind closed doors tonight to discuss the public option in the hopes of reaching some sort of compromise in time to salvage the health care bill.

On hand were Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--who's been trying to broker a compromise between competing factions for months--Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)--who's been floating a potential compromise modeled on Olympia Snowe's trigger--and Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Ben Nelson (D-NE).

According to Rockefeller, the range of views is an indication that things are coming down to the wire.

"There's no question about that," Rockefeller told reporters. "This should have started a long time ago and thankfully Harry Reid caught it in time to put us together."

Read more »

Health Care

With Health Reform At Stake, Senators Scramble To Reach Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 3, 2009, 2:12PM

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Key Democrats in the Senate, accompanied by party leadership, are bearing down on a solution to the public option problem that has dogged the caucus for months now. They're holding a constant series of meetings, bringing liberals and conservatives together to reach a compromise--seemingly modeled on a trigger--that can garner 60 votes. And interestingly, one key public option supporter seems pleased.

"There's sort of a new initiative on the public option, which is highly useful, without saying anything more about it," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). "There's going to be a group of people representing various points of view who are going to just closet themselves and try and resolve this so we can have something on the floor that can pass," he said.

"It's been taking place, it's ongoing, several different rooms, several different groups," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin.

Included in the meeting, according to Durbin, are the well-known public option skeptics, and, on the other side of the party, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

"I'm doing my best to do what I can do," Sanders said.

"It's one of the two, i think, really critical issues remaining, with the issue of abortion," Durbin said.

Read more »

Health Care

Sen. Rockefeller Hints About Public Option Compromise

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 12:42PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

From Brian Beutler on the Hill:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller didn't offer much detail, but told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon there are new talks going on to negotiate a public option that's amenable to both conservative Democrats and those who share his views on wanting a more robust public option.

"There's sort of a new initiative on the public option, which is highly useful, without saying anything more about it," said Rockefeller (D-WV).

"There's going to be a group of people representing various points of view who are going to just closet themselves and try and resolve this so we can have something on the floor that can pass," he said.

Health Care

Progressives To Moderates: Do You Really Want To Kill Health Care Reform?

Brian Beutler | November 17, 2009, 12:46PM

Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

The urgency of last night's meeting between Senate progressives and Majority Leader Harry Reid surrounded the fact that, though the overwhelming majority of Democrats want a public option, and several think they've already compromised enough on that score, the votes still aren't there. So, with key votes just around the corner, how can those moderate hold-outs be swayed, and what happens if they can't be? One possibility is simply leaving the ball in the moderates' court.

"There's potentially a dynamic that works in all of this that as you get closer and closer to the vote, you say--you really do say--we're going to make or we're not going to make history, and it takes on another dimension, psychologically," Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) told reporters. "I mean I've been through that myself. I've gone downstairs thinking maybe I'm not going to vote for that, and then suddenly I see its dimension, think of it in large terms, and then vote for it."

Rockefeller downplayed the possibility that, at the end of the process, there won't be 60 votes to end a filibuster.

"We're not taking that tack, what if we can't--we're talking about how we can," Rockefeller told TPMDC. He said using the budget reconciliation process as a procedural tool to circumvent a filibuster would be ugly, and, for that reason, the focus has to be on making sure Democrats (and perhaps Olympia Snowe) stick together to against a filibuster.

Read more »

Health Care

Sources: White House Pushing Back Against Senate Public Option Opt Out Compromise

Brian Beutler | October 23, 2009, 3:11PM

President Barack Obama

Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members. But they also say that the White House is pushing back against the idea, in a bid to retain the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

"They're skeptical of opt out and are generally deferential to the Snowe strategy that involves the trigger," said one source close to negotiations between the Senate and the White House. "they're certainly not calming moderates' concerns on opt out."

This new development, which casts the White House as an opponent of all but the most watered down form of public option, is likely to yield backlash from progressives, especially those in the House who have been pushing for a more maximal version of reform.

It also suggests, for perhaps the first time, that the White House's supposed hands off approach, to ostensibly allow the two chambers in Congress to craft their own bills, has been discarded.

Read more »

Health Care

Rockefeller Warms To Public Option Opt Out; So Do Conservative Dems

Brian Beutler | October 21, 2009, 5:43PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Earlier today, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) told me something somewhat unexpected. "I'm looking very much now at this opt out public option," he said, "not opt in but opt out--so you start out with a public option, and if you don't like it you can opt out....that has a sense of freedom."

Why unexpected? Because here's what he told me just last week: "I don't start out favoring that," he said. "You know, opt out is sort of like trigger. It sounds good, it makes people feel good, but the question is, Is it good? And I don't think it really is. If it's the only way you can get the votes, then that's a decision that will have to be made over my head."

That's a pretty notable change, and reflective of the political appeal of the opt-out proposal within the Democratic party. Rockefeller and other senators have come to believe that, in addition to being more likely to get the votes needed to pass in the Senate, it's also a policy fix that will have almost, if not the same, impact as a fully national public option.

Read more »

Jay Rockefeller

Rockefeller: White House Approach To Public Option 'Difficult To Fathom' Sometimes

Brian Beutler | October 21, 2009, 3:54PM

Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

I just spoke with Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who had a bit of a fractured take on the current state of the public option. He took issue with the President Obama's aloof approach to the public option, and at the same time echoed one of the administration's most controversial lines.

"They're a little difficult to fathom sometimes, to keep up with what they're doing," Rockefeller said. "They're in these meetings, all of these meetings, that I don't get to go to so I can't tell you exactly what they're saying."

But he also said something that seems a bit at odds with his consistent, emphatic support for the measure, which he has described as a necessary element of reform. "You know, the public option--which I think in the end is going to prevail--is not actually the biggest thing in the entire bill," Rockefeller told me. "I hate to hear myself say that, but it's true."

Earlier today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--another ardent public option enthusiast--said much the same thing after an event heralding a plan to strip the health insurance industry of its anti-trust exemption.

Read more »

Health Care

Rockefeller On Reid And The Public Option: It Comes Down To Who You Are

Brian Beutler | October 14, 2009, 1:09PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) suggested today Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ought to act his conscience on the public option, and include it in the health care bill that comes to the floor.

Speaking to reporters outside the Senate chamber, Rockefeller sounded confident that the public option would be in the final reform package. Asked whether Reid should heed the will of the Democratic caucus (which overwhelmingly supports the public option) or do what he deems is most politically expedient, Rockefeller said it's up to Harry.

"He's got to look at both, but--I think it's sort of the time I think when it comes down to who you are. I mean that was obviously in Olympia's case, right?"

Read more »

Health Care

LIVEBLOG: Senate Finance Committee Votes On Health Care Reform Bill

Brian Beutler | October 13, 2009, 10:01AM

Check in here for continuous updates until the vote, which may not come until the afternoon.

Read more »

Health Care

Senate Finance Committee To Vote On Landmark Health Care Legislation Today

Brian Beutler | October 13, 2009, 8:51AM

Later this morning, after tense months of negotiating and arguing, the Senate Finance Committee will vote on its health care reform bill. The package, which is expected to pass on a party-line or nearly party-line vote, will be a precursor to a Senate bill, which will be compiled in the coming days, and reach the floor later this month.

Of the five Congressional committees with jurisdiction over the nation's sprawling health care system, Finance is the last to act, though it began preliminary hearings on the issue about one year ago.

Read more »

Health Care

Taking Their Time: Finance Committee May Delay Vote As It Awaits CBO Analysis

Brian Beutler | October 5, 2009, 12:16PM

The Senate Finance Committee was supposed to convene for a vote on its controversial health care bill tomorrow. Now, that's looking doubtful.

Early in the amendment process, the panel agreed not to hold a vote until a preliminary analysis on the legislation's cost-saving potential was available, and it appears as if the CBO will not complete its work until later in the week. That would touch off yet another delay--one that's likely to frustrate Democrats and liberal activists, who've grown impatient over the glacial pace of reform efforts.

Read more »

Health Care

Snowe May Withhold Trigger Amendment Until Full Senate Debates Health Care

Brian Beutler | September 30, 2009, 5:10PM

One of the most anticipated amendments to the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill was introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). If adopted, it would create triggered public options at the state level if private insurance companies didn't make insurance affordable and available everywhere. But yesterday, when the Committee considered a separate pair of public option amendments, Snowe's proposal wasn't on the agenda.

Senate sources suggest Snowe may withhold the amendment until health care legislation hits the floor next month. And a Snowe spokesperson confirms that, though the situation is very fluid right now, that is a possibility.

Read more »

Health Care

Rockefeller's Public Option Amendment Fails; Schumer's Public Option Up Next

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 2:43PM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

After debating all morning and well into the afternoon, the Senate Finance Committee voted against an amendment, written by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that would have added a public option to the panel's health care reform bill.

The final vote was 8-15 with 5 Democrats--Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)--voting with all Republicans to kill the proposal.

Next up, Chuck Schumer's more modest public option proposal.

Health Care

Finance Committee Continues Consideration of Rockefeller's Public Option Amendment

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 1:50PM

Sen. Rockefeller, Sen. Schumer, and Sen. Baucus

The Senate Finance Committee is back from lunch and picking up where it left off--debating an amendment by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that would add a public option to Max Baucus' health care proposal.

1:55 p.m.: Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) doesn't like the public option...but he thinks all government officials and their staffs should be on it if the Democrats create one. A lot of Democrats oppose this ("it's a public option, including for us). But for what it's worth, the Senate HELP committee adopted an amendment that institutes this requirement, but only to members of Congress and their staffs.

2:03 p.m. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) notes smartly that any public option tied to Medicare will be tied to a newer, better Medicare that will correct for rural disparities, and reward providers that provide cost-effective care, and move away from fee for service. That undermines Kent Conrad's objection to a pretty significant extent. More on this soon.

2:09 p.m.Cantwell also says she'll be offering an amendment that will allow private insurers to team with the government to negotiate lower rates. Your move, Kent!

Read more »

Health Care

Rockefeller Says His Public Option Would Save $50 Billion Over 10 Years

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 10:25AM

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced his public option amendment before the Senate Finance Committee. In making the pitch to the panel's skeptics, he's noted that it will save the federal government about $50 billion over 10 years, and would be, as its name implies optional--i.e. it's not a "government takeover" of health care.

Late update: To the chagrin of chairman Max Baucus, Rockefeller is lambasting the insurance industry, and citing a number of ways other health care reform bills do a better job at reining in their excesses. He cited insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter, who said that, without a public option, health care reform legislation might as well be named the "Insurance Industry Profit Protection Act."

The House bill, Rockefeller noted, would place strict limits on the so-called medical-loss ratio (i.e. percentage of each premium dollar that can go to profits, administrative costs, and other non-health care related activities.)

Late, late update: It's worth mentioning that you can follow the hearing at this link.

Read more »

Health Care

Today's the Day: Public Option Votes in the Senate Finance Committee

Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 9:20AM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

As I laid out moments after the proposed amendments to the Baucus bill were announced, the public option will have its day on the Senate Finance Committee.

That day is today. The 23-member panel will consider amendments sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that, if adopted, would add a public option into the panel's health care reform bill.

Two things to keep in mind if you're watching the hearing or reading news accounts about the developments: the two proposals are very different, and neither is expected to pass. The Rockefeller amendment is a version of what we've come to know as the "robust" public option. It would, for a time, be tied to Medicare, and, thereafter, be able to use the government's considerable leverage to bargain down payment rates with providers.

Read more »

Health Care

Reid Supports a Public Option, But Will He Include One in the Senate Health Care Bill?

Brian Beutler | September 28, 2009, 1:06PM

Two telling indicators suggest that, despite a true 60 vote majority, the public option may nonetheless face an uphill climb in the Senate. On Friday, during a tele-townhall, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told an audience of constituents that he thinks a "triggered" public option is a "pretty doggone good idea"--not as good as a robust public option, but better than the private co-op proposal that for a time was regarded as a likely compromise between Democrats, who support a public option, and Republicans, who do not support health care reform.

Today, citing anonymous Democratic sources, the New York Times reports that Reid will likely not include a public option in a final legislative proposal when he merges the Finance and HELP committee bills.

Officially, Reid says it's too early to have decided what will and will not be included in the package he introduces on the Senate floor--the public option will get more than one vote in the Finance Committee this week, and only if it fails (as is expected) will Reid have to decide whether to incorporate it from the HELP bill, or to drop it.

Read more »

Public Option

Baucus: We Won't Discuss Public Option Until Tuesday

Rachel Slajda | September 25, 2009, 11:21AM

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)

Although they were originally scheduled to do so today, Senate Finance Committee members won't discuss public option amendments until Tuesday.

"We don't have time today to bring that up," Chairman Max Baucus said, according to the Washington Independent.

Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are pushing for a public option in the Finance bill. On a conference call last night, Schumer said today would be "the opening day in our big fight."

The committee is adjourning early today and won't meet Monday due to Yom Kippur.

Public Option

Schumer And Rockefeller: We Will Get Public Option

Ben Frumin | September 24, 2009, 7:24PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

I just got off a conference call with Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). They are confident -- very confident -- that health care reform will include a public option.

Read more »