Democrats Writing Healthcare Bill Behind Closed Doors, Gregg Accuses

By Laurel Brishel Prichard
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Thursday that the health reform bill must first become a law before reconciliation can be used to amend it.

“So much of this bill may be subject to the Byrd Rule and may go in one way and come out another way, assuming it comes out at all,” Gregg told reporters during a brief session.

Senate Republicans have secured 41 signatures on a letter demanding that reconciliation only be used on legislation involving budget adjustments, and not major policy changes, said Alexander.

“If any sentence is deemed that the policy is more significant then the budget adjustments that it applies to...it will be knocked out, the paragraph will be knocked out, and the section will be knocked out,” said Gregg.

Alexander reiterated a GOP desire to deal with reforming the nation's healthcare system in a "step-by-step" manner. Gregg agreed, and argued that a more piecemeal approach would yield a more transparent process.

“The simple fact is [Democrats] are hiding the bill. This is another one of those processes where it's being written in a hidden room, behind a hidden room, behind a hidden door,” said Gregg.

GOP Senators Worry About Cost Of Health Care Bill

By Marianna Levyash - Talk Radio News Service

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) displayed concern over the high cost of the Senate health care bill during a press conference Thursday.

According to statistics Gregg obtained from the Senate Budget Committee, the bill increases federal spending by $1.2 trillion between now and 2019, and if fully implemented, it would cost over $2.5 trillion over the next ten years.

“This representation that it’s an $850 million dollar bill is simply wrong,” said Gregg.

Republicans opposed to the legislation say taxes will go up by nearly $500 billion, Medicare will be cut by $465 billion and that 24 million people will still be left uninsured.

“Revenues shouldn’t go to create a new entitlement, they should go to reduce the out-year already contingent unfunded liability that we have in Medicare,” stated Gregg.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this coming Saturday.

Webb Comes Out Against Cap And Trade, Unveils Alternative Plan

By Ravi Bhatia - Talk Radio News Service

In a news conference Monday, Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced their alternative to the Kerry-Boxer climate bill. The “Clean Energy Act of 2009” would allocate $100 billion in loans for technology-neutral, carbon-free electricity over the next 20 years, with the goal of doubling nuclear production during that time.

The legislation would invest $1 billion over five years on enabling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review new nuclear reactor designs. Hitachi and General Electric are two companies that have worked on a design that would create reactors that use fewer pumps and would cut the construction time of a nuclear power plant to 42 months.

Both senators argued that their bill could easily attract bipartisan support, unlike the cap and trade plan, which they said encourages the outsourcing of American jobs. Webb said he was particularly concerned with the complexity of cap and trade, claiming that that there is “no way to fully measure [its] potential impact on the economy.”

“[Our bill] is measurable, achievable, targeted,” Webb said.

While the Webb-Alexander bill primarily focuses on nuclear energy, it would also fund what Alexander calls five “Mini-Manhattan Projects,” which would invest in clean coal, advanced biofuels, advanced batteries, solar power, and nuclear fuel recycling.

Webb, whose opposition to the Kerry-Boxer legislation is a serious blow to the oft-debated bill, said that he and Alexander would continue to oppose it even if their legislation was included.

GOP Senators Prepare For Filibuster On Healthcare Bill

By Marianna Levyash - Talk Radio News Service

In a news conference on Wednesday, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) said that they are fully prepared to block any Democratic efforts to end debate on the Senate's healthcare reform bill.

"It looks like the next vote will be a vote to move to the bill and that will be the first vote for or against the bill that will, as presently constructed, raise premiums, raise taxes, cut medicare...and create a new government-run insurance program," said Alexander.

The Tennessee Republican stated his belief that each member of the Senate "will be looking at this vote in terms of having consistency...and whether they'll vote for the final bill."

"60 votes would end the debate...and that is an important thing to keep in mind," added Johanns.

Both Alexander and Johanns repeated the GOP's message that the Democratically-backed legislation is "fundamentally flawed."

Hatch Predicts An Elderly Rebellion Over Rationed Care

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) appeared perturbed when he argued that senior citizens in the U.S. will rebel against the government if it attempts to over take health care. Hatch, alongside Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), said that there are at least five Republican health care proposals already drafted that are better than the Democrats' plan.

“They’re gonna ration care,” Hatch said. “There’s no use kidding about it, they hate to hear that word on the Democrat side, but how else can it be?” He issued a direct challenge to Democrats, urging them to “prove me wrong.”

Among the many Republican hang-ups over the Democrat proposal is the fate of the elderly and poor. Hatch asserted that Medicaid will go bankrupt as 9 out of every 10 seniors will lose their end-of-life care.

Similarly, the Republicans asserted that poor people will be hit hard due to an employer mandate that will force companies to cut the lowest paying jobs just to stay in business. Hatch said he cannot imagine that Democrats could support a proposal that “would double unemployment in Utah” and other states.

Both senators admitted that reform will be difficult, but as the health care debate continues to heat up, finding solutions to issues has become more complex. Democrats are finding the “best way to go in the wrong direction,” according to Hatch, who later repeated his belief that “the seniors won’t be happy.”