December 19, 2009
Source: NY Times
After 13 hours of negotiation yesterday, Sen Ben Nelson (D-NE) changed his mind and said he would vote for the bill. Done deal, if folks vote as expected. Glenn Beck through Michael Goldfarb had said the WH was threatening Sen Nelson with shut down of Offutt Air Force Base. Something that will never be known unless someone talks.
SEN NELSON:
Change is never easy, but change is what’s necessary in America. And that’s why I intend to vote for health care reform.
What did he get for his vote?
Not as much as Senator Landrieu.
Sen Nelson’s original amendment imposing tighter restrictions on abortion was shot down by the Senate. He said he wouldn’t vote unless the language was strengthened. The first draft was not acceptable and going into yesterday he was not ready to vote for the bill. So Harry Reid put together a 338-page package of last-minute amendments, evidently acceptable to Sen Nelson.
As far as the bill:
- Health insurance plans would not be required or forbidden to cover abortions
- States could prohibit payment of abortions through new government-approved health insurance plans if the state enacts a law stating as much.
- Some health plans receiving federal subsidies could offer coverage for abortion, as long as they don’t use federal money to pay for the procedure. The money would have to come from premiums paid by the particular health plan subscribers and remain separate from federal money — oversight provided by state insurance commissioners.
That satisfied Sen Nelson’s concerns about use of federal monies to fund abortions.
This is what sealed the deal – a little pay-to-play Washington style.
Increased federal contributions to the cost of an expansion of Medicaid- in Nebraska only.
Meaning all the people who will be added to Medicaid with barry’s bill will not have to be paid for by Nebraska. That’s about $45M savings in the first decade. barry is going to pay for Medicaid expansion in every state through 2017 and the plan is deficit neutral and will not consist of rationing.
Nothing resembling Change! in how this bill will pass.
And nothing of truth as to how it will be financed.
