What. The. Hell?!?.The Senate this afternoon killed a proposal, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to return the Democrats’ health reform bill to the Finance Committee in order to restore more than $400 billion in projected Medicare expenses over the next decade. Because Democrats are relying on that money to offset much of the bill, McCain’s amendment would have effectively forced a do-over of the entire health reform debate.Joining with Ben Nelson to effectively kill health care reform outright?!? Let's just put it this way, I am not particularly pleased with Sen. Webb right now.
The vote was a lop-sided 42 to 58 — well shy of the 60 supporters needed to pass the amendment. Democratic Sens. Jim Webb (Va.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) joined every Republican in support of the measure.
P.S. I love how Republicans are now the big defenders of Medicare, or what they usually like to call "socialized medicine." Can we say "shameless?" "Duplicitous?" "You lie, Republicans?" :)
P.P.S. AARP says that "it supports $460 billion in Medicare cuts needed to cover the cost of new a healthcare bill, citing that the only casualties would be 'waste and inefficiency.'" In addition, "No guaranteed Medicare benefits would be reduced with such cuts, AARP CEO A. Barry Rand added in a letter to U.S. senators." In other words, everything you're hearing about this really being a "cut" to Medicare is b.s., according to the organization most concerned with protecting seniors' Medicare benefits.
