Posted by
Defend America on Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:54:54 PM
President Obama to Say Democrats Will Use Reconciliation to Pass Senate Health Care Reform Fix, If Not Given Up or Down Vote
March 02, 2010 6:27 PM
White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks
tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans
on some issue to get a health care reform bill passed but will say that if it
is necessary, Democrats will use the controversial reconciliation rules
requiring only 51 Senate votes to pass the "fix" to the Senate bill.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been awaiting the president’s
remarks direction on how health care reform will proceed.
In his remarks, scheduled to be at the White House, the
president will paint a picture of what he will say will happen without a health
care reform bill – skyrocketing premiums, everyone at the mercy of the
insurance industry as recently seen with the 39% premium increases proposed by
Anthem Blue Cross in California.
He will note that the “fixed” bill will include the proposal
for a new "Health Insurance Rate Authority" to set guidelines for
reasonable rate increases. If proposed premium increases are not justifiable
per those Health Insurance Rate Authority guidelines, the Health and Human
Services Secretary or state regulators could block them.
The president will outline the plan to pass the bill,
including having the House of Representatives pass the Democratic Senate health
care reform legislation as well as a second bill containing various “fixes.”
He will say that if Republicans refuse to allow and up or
down vote in the Senate on the fixes to the bill, Democrats will use the
reconciliation rules.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/03/obama-democrats-will-use-reconciliation-to-pass-senate-health-care-bill.html