Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued on Wednesday that the public option compromise being crafted by Senate Democrats is another mutation that doesn’t change the core of the healthcare bill.

“We’ll see various stories about different mutations of this monstrosity. But what isn’t going to change in this 2,000 page bill is a half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, over $400 billion in new taxes and higher premiums for everyone. That’s not going to change,” said McConnell. “To be perfectly frank with you, I don’t think it’s relevant to the core of the bill.”

The compromise, which would establish a nonprofit health insurance program that would be setup by the Office of Personnel Management, was struck Tuesday night. The program would be run by private companies, but a government insurance program could be triggered if the non-profits fail to meet the public's needs.

Bruce Josten with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who was also present, said the country desperately needs health care reform, but said he was fearful that the Senate's bill could hurt small businesses throughout the country via costly new mandates, which could lead to more lost jobs.

“We desperately need health care reform, but we need health care reform as the President articulated last February that first and foremost bends the cost curve. What we’re seeing here is a bill that fails to do so,” said Josten.

McConnell, who was returning from a visit with Obama at the White House, blasted the possible negative impact a healthcare bill could have on the nation's economy.

“It’s quite curious to have a jobs summit on the same day in which we’re being pressed to pass a health care bill that can only be described as a job killer,” he said. “This doesn’t do the job, it simply doesn’t do what we thought the health care debate was all about.”