Nov 22, 2009 3:20 pm US/Eastern
Sen. Schumer: Public Option Can Pass Senate
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New York Senator Charles Schumer
CBS
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says health care reform that includes a public option can pass the Senate.
Schumer said he is assuring his more conservative Democratic colleagues that the public option included in the Senate bill is "modest" and not the first step in a government takeover of the insurance industry.
The senator is also reminding fellow Democratic senators that the bill would allow states to opt out of the public option. He asks that they not prevent his constituents in New York from getting the public option they desire.
Schumer predicts that at the end of the debate, the party will come together to support that version of a public option.
The Senate's 60-39 vote clears the way for a historic debate after Thanksgiving on the Obamacare legislation. The measure is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who lack it and crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.
The vote came in a rare Saturday session in the Senate.
Democrats posted 60 votes in a Senate showdown, precisely the number needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics.
The vote was a major victory for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the White House in a year-end drive to enact the most sweeping changes to the nation's health care system in a half-century or more.
Hours earlier, Democratic leaders had sealed the 60 votes necessary to proceed on the legislation, a win for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the White House. The last two holdouts -- Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana -- said they would vote to advance the bill.
All 40 Republicans are expected to vote "no."
Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln said on the Senate floor that she will vote with her party, hours before the 8 p.m. EST roll call.
She said it was important that the Senate begin debate on a critical issue.
The centrist Democrat was the lone holdout. Facing unanimous Republican opposition, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid needed the 58 Democrats and two independents to vote to move forward on the sweeping bill to remake the nation's health care system.
Shortly before 1 p.m. EST, another centrist fence-sitter, Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, said she would vote yes.
The Louisiana lawmaker made the long-awaited announcement in a speech on the Senate floor Saturday.
Landrieu says her vote is to move forward but that work still needs to be done on the bill.
Landrieu has been one of two Democratic holdouts; the other is Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid needs 60 votes to prevail in the 100-seat Senate. The 40 Republicans are unanimously opposed.
A largely overlooked provision in the Senate bill would send $100 million to Louisiana to help it cover costs for Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor.
Most everyone would be required to purchase insurance under Reid's legislation, and billions in new taxes would be levied on insurers and high-income Americans to help extend coverage to 30 million uninsured. Insurance companies would no longer be allowed to deny coverage to people with medical conditions or drop coverage when someone gets sick.
The two holdouts are Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. A third centrist, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, announced Friday that he'd be supporting his party on the test vote, while cautioning that it didn't mean he'd be with them on the final vote.
"It is not for or against the new Senate health care bill," Nelson said. "It is only to begin debate and an opportunity to make improvements. If you don't like a bill, why block your own opportunity to amend it?"
If that same reasoning holds with Lincoln and Landrieu, Reid, D-Nev., will have the 60 votes he needs to prevail in the 100-seat Senate. The 40 Republicans are unanimously opposed.
Landrieu has made comments suggesting she'll support the move to debate, but Lincoln, who faces a difficult re-election next year, carefully avoided taking any public position Friday.
Republicans used their weekly radio and Internet address to slam the legislation, calling it a government takeover of health care that would increase taxes and raise medical costs.
"This 2,000-page bill will drive up the cost of health care insurance and medical care, not down," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said in the address. "This is not true health care reform, and it is not what the American people want. This bill will result in higher premiums and higher health care costs for Americans — period."
The White House issued a statement late Friday praising the Senate measure.
The action in the Senate comes two weeks after the House approved a health overhaul bill of its own on a 220-215 vote. After the vote Saturday night, senators will leave for a Thanksgiving recess. Upon their return, assuming Democrats prevail on the vote, they will launch into weeks or more of unpredictable debate on the health care bill, with numerous amendments expected from both sides of the aisle and more 60-vote hurdles along the way.
Senate leaders hope to pass their bill by the end of the year. If that happens, January would bring work to reconcile the House and Senate versions before a final package could land on Obama's desk.
The bills have many similarities, including the new requirements on insurers and the creation of new purchasing marketplaces called exchanges where self-employed individuals and small businesses could go to shop for and compare coverage plans. One option in the exchanges would be a new government-offered plan, something that's opposed by private insurers and business groups.
Differences include requirements for employers. The House bill would require medium and large businesses to cover their employees, while the Senate bill would not require them to offer coverage but would make them pay a fee if the government ends up subsidizing employees' coverage.
Another difference is in how they're paid for. The Senate bill includes a tax on high-value insurance policies that's not part of the House bill, while the House would levy a new income tax on upper-income Americans that's not in the Senate measure. The Senate measure also raises the Medicare payroll tax on income above $200,000 annually for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Both bills rely on more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare.
Schumer was first elected to the Senate in 1998.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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