While the big news of the week for health care has been that the Baucus bill passed committee with one Republican vote from Senator Snowe, there continues to be a myriad of questions about what the final bill will look like, and if it will have support from centrists. A very reasonable request came from Senator McConnell stating a desire to have an actual bill posted online 72 hours prior to a vote for the public to read. This was previously voted down, but it still remains a solid ‘good government’ style request, particularly with all the promises of transparency that were made during the last election.
**As someone who does web work, please do not be fooled by statements that putting a bill online is too difficult or time consuming. Companies PDF large documents every day in a very timely manner; statements that it can’t be done are pure bunk (or cluelessness).
From the Hill McConnell: GOP ‘will not be intimidated’ on healthcare
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday stressed his party “will not be intimidated” into passing healthcare reform under a tight deadline.
Rather, McConnell urged his Democratic counterparts to slow down the reform process and devote as much time to the healthcare debate as the chamber normally affords to other sweeping, landmark overhauls.
“Senate Republicans are going to insist that there be an actual bill, that there be a CBO score so we know what it costs, that it be available on the Internet for a minimum of 72 hours so the American people can react to it,” the Republican leader told reporters after a policy luncheon.
From Politico Centrist Democrats still not sold on health care
Moderate Democrats did draw plenty of inspiration from Snowe – but instead of using her “yes” vote as a reason to embrace health care reform, fence-sitters hailed the caveats in her public statement Tuesday as a rationale for withholding their own judgment.
Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson said his colleague from Maine wasn’t “forecasting what her future votes might be” when she cast the lone Republican vote for the Finance bill.
Likewise, Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, whose own stance on health care remains an open question, cautioned, “I think she’s been careful to say that she supports it coming out of committee, but no guarantees on final passage because it’s going to change quite a bit between now and then.”
After hiding in Snowe’s shadows for months, the spotlight shifts to a collection of moderate Democrats whose diffuse prerogatives will make Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pine for the ever-deliberate Maine Republican.
“There are many competing views on how best to reform health care within my caucus,” Reid acknowledged Wednesday before ducking into the first of what will be many negotiating sessions with Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who ushered a bill through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “I know this isn’t going to be easy.”
Filed under: Economy, Health Care, Independent, Moderate, Politics, republicans | Tagged: health care reform, healthcare reform, mcconnell health care, mcconnell health reform, republican health care
[...] “There are many competing views on how best to reform health care within my caucus,” Reid acknowledged Wednesday before ducking into the first of what will be many negotiating sessions with Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who ushered a bill through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “I know this isn’t going to be easy.” Major Doubts Remain on Health Care Reform [...]
While posting the bill online is an element of good government and transparency, many people will be unable to understand the details of the bill directly because on the legal technical language used.
As a result, many with an agenda will inaccurately represent the contents of the bill as happened in August. If a bill is posted, it would also make sense to provide plain English notes and examples with it to make it accessible to the public. Otherwise, it will simply be fodder for manipulated commentary and the rumor mill.
I’d definitely be on board with that. I’m sure the bill’s text will be difficult to read, providing both the bill and a synopsis will be good for transparency, and help those of us who can’t devote the amount of time needed to read a potentially 1000+ bill a good cheat sheet for understanding everything entailed.