You can argue that the Repugs are complaining, but in the end it is the people losing out-once again!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20091220/pl_cq_politics/politics3271288Nelson Cites Reason Behind Health Care Compromise
By Matthew Murray, CQ-Roll Call Matthew Murray, Cq-roll Call – Sun Dec 20, 3:03 pm ET
The Democratic linchpin in a delicate Senate health care compromise said Sunday that special goodies for his constituents came at the behest of the state's Republican governor.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he "didn't ask for a special favor here ... didn't ask for a carve-out."
"He's said publicly he's having trouble with the budget and this will add to the budget woes," Nelson said of Republican Gov. Dave Heineman. "I said, look, we have to have this fixed."
Nelson's comments Sunday morning came as Republicans stepped up their criticisms of the "Cornhusker kickback" included in the Senate health care bill, which is expected to pass the Senate by Friday. The proposal would force the federal government to pay the entire insurance bill for poor Nebraskans. Critics decry the subsidy as a blatant political bribe intended to secure Nelson's decisive 60th health care vote Saturday.
On the same program, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., expressed doubts that Nelson's deal is even legal.
"I've got a 30 percent African-American population, a lot of low-income African-Americans on Medicaid," Graham said. "There are a lot of people, Democrats and Republicans, who are upset by this. Is it constitutional? I want the attorney general of South Carolina to look at this."
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Other lawmakers appearing on the Sunday talk shows had strong thoughts about Nelson's move, the timing of the vote and what the bill is supposed to accomplish.
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"And, secondly, what do you want? The president is reported to have said to people at the White House, 'Everything is negotiable, except getting a bill.' What do you want? And we found what the price of that was as we began to read the bill that we've now had for less than 24 hours, when the senator from Nebraska on page 98 of the bill gets his state specifically exempted from having to pay the increased Medicaid costs associated with the bill.
""So the rest of us, the good folks of Illinois and the good folks of Arizona, are going to be paying the $26 billion over the next 10 years for the increased Medicaid that the people in Nebraska won't have to pass.".................
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