AP: Health Care Bill Deals & Disappointments

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 02:38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtiP1sEO67w   Posted on YouTube: December 24, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: December 24, 2009 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 576

 
AP - 22 December 2009: As the Senate prepares to vote on an overhaul of the nation's health care system, AP reporter Erica Werner explains what it took to get all 60 Democrats on board and why some Republicans say the legislation is a sign of business as usual.

[SandWalker1984]

1. San Francisco Examiner also ran an article on the payola to the senators

Here's the short list of payola from the article:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/politics/Big-payoffs-to-senators-on-health-bill-stokes-public-anger-8675288-79940092.html

The high cost of health legislation
Some of the special favors for powerful or hard-to-convince senators in the health bill expected to pass the Senate Thursday.


» Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. -- Up to $300 million in additional federal money to pay for the state of Louisiana's share of the proposed expansion of Medicaid.



» Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. -- A commitment that the federal government will permanently pay for Medicaid expansion in the Cornhusker State at a cost of about $100 million.



» Sens. Ben Nelson and Carl Levin, D-Mich. -- A provision that shelters Mutual of Omaha in Nebraska and Blue Cross Blue Shield in Michigan from a proposed $10 billion annual fee on the health insurance industry.


» Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. -- Dodd, facing a re-election battle with low poll numbers, inserted a $100 million grant tailored to a proposal for a new hospital at the University of Connecticut Health Center.



» Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. -- A 2.2 percent increase in federal coverage of Medicaid expansion, worth about $600 million over a decade.



» Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. -- A special provision that will exempt about 800,000 senior citizens in the Sunshine State from any of the proposed cuts to the Medicaid Advantage program.



» Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. -- The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a chief architect of the health care bill inserted language in the bill to provide services and benefits, including Medicare, for a group of Montana miners exposed to asbestos.




My take on this? Seems that several senators that are against a public option have no problem demanding money so their states can pay for.....public options, ie Medicaid.
:wtf: