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WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. As the Senate is poised to take up health care reform, it kind of feels like everyone is waiting for the party to start if only the guest of honor – in this case, the bill – would arrive.
For three weeks the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has been reviewing the Senate bill stitched together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid hopes to have the analysis back this week. But that’s what he said last week.
The problems Reid faces in crafting a bill that will have the blessing of both the green shades at the budget office and his diverse Democratic caucus are, by now, legendary: How to pay for the thing (tax on Cadillac plans vs. tax on high wage earners); public option with opt-out (or something else); abortion restrictions (or not).
The New York Times reported that the CBO sent Reid 11 pages of questions last week, and the back-and-forth continued.
Even when the bill does arrive, the procedural hoops needed to open the debate are equally legendary. Talk is now of a potentially Saturday vote.
Meanwhile, the business of Washington continues.
The House this week may take up legislation from Rep. Shelley Berkley to extend the estate tax, which is expiring at year’s end.
The big news over the weekend was the arrival of Vice President Joe Biden at a campaign fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, which my colleague Michael Mishak writes is an indicator of the tough re-election campaign ahead for the freshman congresswoman.
Lots of other interesting reads in the weekend papers, including this piece from J. Patrick Coolican on the Las Vegas construction industry on the auction block, being sold off one earthmover at a time.
And it’s not quite the Stripper-mobile, but the Clark County Commission this week may wade into the parallel issue of mobile billboards.
That’s all for now. Check back later for all the political news in Nevada.
Harry Reid should be voted out of office, he is a lier!
The dean of Harvard Medical school:
Our health-care system suffers from problems of cost, access and quality, and needs major reform. Tax policy drives employment-based insurance; this begets overinsurance and drives costs upward while creating inequities for the unemployed and self-employed. A regulatory morass limits innovation. And deep flaws in Medicare and Medicaid drive spending without optimizing care.
Speeches and news reports can lead you to believe that proposed congressional legislation would tackle the problems of cost, access and quality. But that's not true.
The various bills do deal with access by expanding Medicaid and mandating subsidized insurance at substantial cost--and thus addresses an important social goal. However, there are no provisions to substantively control the growth of costs or raise the quality of care. So the overall effort will fail to qualify as reform.
The CBO integrity is laughable.Do they really expect us to believe these figures are honest ?Does anybody remember how far off these jokers were with their figures on medicare ?This government cant even put out the honest figures on what jobs are being created with the stimulus and were suppose to trust them with are health care system.It truly shows you how stupid they think the American people are, by giving these tooth fairy figures.That's why we need to have a constitutional convention,because their is no hope in fixing the reprobate way they do business in Washington.Hopefully in 2010 together we can throw out people like Reed,pelosi,schumer,Rockefeller,durbin,leahy.dod d,kerry,FRANK,and all the other corrupt politicians that are truly ruining and bankrupting this country.And if I hear Obama say he brought the country back from the brink one more time,when it was their policies that got us in this mess in the first place,my heads going to explode.Earth to planet Democrat,HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD CONTROLL. Like one senator said out loud YOU LIE !!!!!!!