The Political Bridge

The Senate Kills Sanders' Single-Payer Amendment; The Obama Plan Moves Towards Passage

 The Sanders’ single-payer amendment died Wednesday night in the Senate. Senator Sanders of Vermont vowed it will return when the realization dawns that private insurance companies "are no longer needed."

The proposal's demise came as Senate Democratic leaders and the White House sought agreement with Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., to become the 60th supporter of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul - the number needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

Information from AP

Breaking News from the Washington Post: White House Counsel Craig to End Embattled Tenure

White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig is expected to announce his departure as early as Friday, people familiar with the situation said, ending an embattled tenure in which he struggled to lead the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

To Read More:Click Washington Post

Here’s What the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act Means for You

From the Office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

 

LOWER COSTS

• No more co-pays or deductibles for preventive care
• No more rate increases for pre-existing conditions, gender, or occupation
• An annual cap on your out-of-pocket expenses
• Group rates of a national pool if you buy your own plan
• Guaranteed, affordable oral, hearing, and vision care for your kids

GREATER CHOICE

• Keep your doctor, and your current plan, if you like them
• More choice, with a high quality public health insurance option competing with private insurers

HIGHER QUALITY

• You and your doctors make health care decisions — not insurance companies
• More family doctors and nurses will enter the workforce, helping guarantee access
• Mental health care must be covered

STABILITY & PEACE OF MIND

• No more coverage denials for pre-existing conditions
• No more lifetime limits on how much insurance companies will pay
• No reason to ever make a job or life decision again based on health care coverage

The Congressional Budget Office Director’s Blog for November 6, 2009: Updated Estimate for Health Care Legislation Pending in the House

 

Earlier today, I posted a blog about the cost estimate for the health care legislation pending in the House. I explained how the repeal of certain tax rules in H.R. 3962, the health care bill, would now generate less revenue because the rules would only be in effect for two years during the 2010-2019 period as a result of the unemployment legislation that was signed into law today. The original estimate for the impact of that repeal under H.R. 3962, about $26 billion over the 10-year period, will now be reduced to about $6 billion. CBO just issued an updated estimate for the health care bill, reflecting the fact that the additional revenues that would result from its enactment will be smaller than those shown in last night’s estimate.  Reflecting this change, CBO and the staff of Joint Committee of Taxation now estimate that, on balance, the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting H.R. 3962, incorporating the manager’s amendment, would yield a net reduction in federal budget deficits of $109 billion (rather than $129 billion) over the 2010-2019 period.

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics: The U.S. Labor Underutilization Rate Hits 17.5%

 U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part   time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian  workforce  

   

Oct 08    Sept 09     Oct O9

 11.1%     17.0%   17.5%

Investigative Reporting Workshop Finds Overseas Firms Collecting the Most on U.S. Govt Funds for Green Energy

Read more: Foreign Windfall

The Unlikely Alliance among the Obama Administration, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and the American Medical Association

The Politico, October 16, 2009 (an indepdent and well-respected source of congressional and political news)

At a meeting last April with corporate lobbyists, aides to President Barack Obama and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) helped set in motion a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, primarily financed by industry groups, that has played a key role in bolstering public support for health care reform

(This meeting resulted) in a somewhat unlikely alliance between an administration that came into power criticizing George W. Bush for his closeness to Big Business and groups such as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the American Medical Association.

A NY Times Video: 2009; A Year of Frustration and Dismay for the Liberal Members of Congress

To view this video click:The Frustrated Left

NY Times: VP Biden is Saying No to Additional American Troops in Afghanistan

NY Times, October 13, 2009

Mr. Biden does not favor abandoning Afghanistan, but his approach would reject the additional troops sought by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and leave the American force in Afghanistan roughly the same, 68,000 troops. Rather than emphasize protecting the Afghan population, he would accelerate training of Afghans to take over the fight while hunting Al Qaeda in Pakistan using drones and special forces. His view has caught on with many liberals in his party.