U.S. Senate Votes to Bring Health Insurance Reform for a Full Floor Debate

Tonight was an exciting night for our country. Minutes ago, the Senate voted to bring health insurance reform legislation for a full debate before the floor.

I am proud of the Senate for moving health insurance reform forward by voting to proceed with full debate. Congratulations to Senator Reid and the Senate Democrats who have always been up to the challenge of accomplishing this historic goal.

Thank you to all of the members of the public that have been working so diligently for change. Your vigilance and support of our members of Congress has made the difference in getting us this far. The vote tonight cleared a huge hurdle and brought us closer to enacting health insurance reform that will benefit millions of Texans and Americans.

I'm disappointed but definitely not surprised that Senator Cornyn and Senator Hutchison voted to not even have a debate on the legislation. Apparently the fact that they represent a state with the highest uninsured population in the country wasn’t incentive enough for our Senators to debate this legislation. Instead, they have demonstrated they are more committed to the principles of the "party of no" than they are to improving the lives of everyday Texans.
Below I’ve included an article from the Washington Post with more details on tonight’s historic developments.


Senate votes to bring health-care bill to the floor

By Shailagh Murray and Paul KaneWashington Post staff writersSaturday, November 21, 2009 8:17 PM

The Senate voted on party lines Saturday night to end a Republican filibuster and bring a bill that would overhaul the nation's health-care system to the Senate floor.

After days of indecision, the two final holdouts -- Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) -- voted with all 60 members of their caucus to support a procedural motion to begin debate. Though strictly parliamentary, the vote marks a milestone in the quest for health-care reform reignited by President Obama's election.

The vote set up weeks of debate. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is aiming for final passage before Christmas.

The House passed a $1 trillion health bill two weeks ago; the $848 billion Senate version represents the work of two committees and hundreds of hours of hearings and deliberations, against a backdrop of fervent Republican opposition. But even as Democrats heralded their expected victory Saturday, they conceded that the vote represents the end of the beginning -- and not the other way around.

Like Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a holdout until Friday, Lincoln and Landrieu said they will press Reid for further changes to the bill before committing to its final passage.

Even to pass Saturday's hurdle, Reid agreed to a 72-hour review period that Lincoln had sought after the bill was introduced Wednesday night. He added a Medicaid clause worth up to $300 million for Landrieu's home state. Although many Democrats pressed Reid to include language to end a federal antitrust exemption for health insurers, the majority leader omitted the repeal to lock down Nelson's vote.

The weeks ahead are likely to bring many more costly concessions. Democrats are already requesting changes to the legislation, raising concerns related to Medicare, abortion and employer requirements.

Above all, the Democratic caucus remains bitterly divided over a government insurance option. Reid quelled an uprising by liberal senators weeks ago by adding a "public option" to the legislation. But although he included an opt-out clause for states, some moderates -- including Landrieu and Lincoln -- have told Reid they will oppose the Senate bill on final passage unless the provision is dropped.

"My vote should in no way be construed by the supporters of this current framework as an indication of how I might vote on the final bill," said Landrieu, who said she also will seek more generous tax credits for small-business health care. "My vote is a vote to move forward, to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is underway."

But Democratic leaders said the Saturday vote provided a jolt of momentum that vastly improved prospects for a completed Senate bill before the Christmas break, leaving January for negotiations with the House. The goal now is to deliver final legislation to Obama in time for the 2010 State of the Union address in late January.

"There will be more procedural hurdles, more disagreements, more pressure from our opponents, more television ads, and many amendments," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.). "But I have no doubt that we will pass this bill."

Republicans portrayed the action Saturday night as considerably more consequential, tantamount to an endorsement of the underlying bill, or "a vote for higher premiums, cuts to Medicare, and more taxes," as Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) declared on the Senate floor.

"All those people who are concerned about the high cost of health care today aren't getting under relief under the Democrat plan," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). "In fact, their lives are going to get much, much worse."

The Senate bill would provide coverage to 31 million Americans by vastly expanding Medicaid and creating new insurance exchanges for individuals who do not have access to affordable coverage through their employers. For the first time, it would require most people to carry health coverage, although families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level would receive subsidies to buy policies.

The legislation also would force sweeping changes to the insurance industry to end discriminatory practices, including the rejection of coverage based on pre-existing conditions. It would institute new incentives to encourage disease prevention and to institute the most effective treatments for chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma.

On the revenue side, the Senate bill would extract about $400 billion in cost savings from Medicare and Medicaid and impose an excise tax on the most generous health-care policies, dubbed "Cadillac" plans. It would raise payroll taxes for high earners and levy a new 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery.

Even before he released the bill last week, Reid started work on securing the votes to bring the measure to the floor . He canvassed Democrats in private meetings and phone calls and urged groups of senators with shared interest to work together on joint amendments. Leadership aides also drew up lists of potential Republican amendments, to devise how Democrats would respond.
Along with the three Democratic moderates who already have stepped forward, two other senators are likely to become frequent visitors to Reid's office in the weeks ahead. Like Nelson, Landrieu and Lincoln, independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) opposes the public option but agreed to support the start of debate. Unlike the other three senators, Lieberman has stated unequivocally that he would oppose a government insurance plan in any form.

That leaves Reid with two options. Either he must convince his liberal members to give up the provision, or he must win back Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), the only Republican to support the Senate Finance Committee bill.

Nelson, Landrieu and other moderate Democrats have suggested they can support an alternative version of the public option proposed by Snowe; it would take effect only if private policies prove unaffordable. Democrats are hopeful they can win her back as the debate advances, and said she has continued to negotiate with Reid -- although she added, "the conversations have to translate into something specific . . . and that hasn't happened."