The Hill: "Speaker Pelosi is backing away from a deal she cut
with centrists to advance health reform, said a source familiar with talks.
Pelosi's decision to move away from the agreement that was made with a group of
Blue Dogs to get the bill out of committee would steer the healthcare
legislation back to the left as she prepares for a floor vote. Pelosi is
planning to include a government-run public option in the House version of the
healthcare bill. She wants to model it on Medicare, with providers getting
reimbursed on a scale pegged to Medicare rates" (Soraghan, 9/22).
Roll Call reports that "Pelosi's gambit runs the risk of
inflaming Democratic moderates, who have tried to nudge the package to the
political center in anticipation of a final bill that hews closely to what the
Senate Finance Committee produces. They are anxious to avoid taking
career-threatening votes on a House package only to see it rewritten in
conference negotiations with the Senate" (Newmyer, 9/23).
Congress Daily: Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., a member of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus, "said the final bill will likely leave the
question of a public insurance option to the states. 'In the end I think, in
conference ... I think we might end up with a state-by-state option, where the
states can choose if they want to sponsor a public competitor,' Baldwin said."
She added that liberal Democrats would likely vote for the bill anyway. Blue Dog
Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., "said a trigger option was more likely, where a
public option would kick in if a certain percentage of the population was not
covered" (Hunt, 9/23).
"Top Democrats and Republicans have said there is
'80 percent' agreement on how to reform health care, with the major disputes
centering on the remaining 20 percent, but that rhetoric appears to be more
public relations than reality,"
Roll Call reports in a separate article. "Republicans said the
80 percent agreement referred to the set of goals that Democrats have on health
care reform, rather than any formal legislation or specifics currently under
consideration in either chamber. Democrats countered that Republicans are
floating the 80 percent figure simply as a way to look like they are not being
obstructionists" (Kucinich and Dennis, 9/23).
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is reaching out to House Republicans
leaders "who have said they agree with about 80 percent of the ideas House
Democrats have outlined," CQ Politics reports. Hoyer said he would contact House
Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., and Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. "Cantor made
the reference to 80 percent agreement between the parties at a health care
policy forum Monday in Richmond, Va. And Boustany has made several references to
the points of accord" (9/22).
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