Reid: Jobs Bill Will Reach Senate Floor Monday

By Monique Cala University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

Legislation aimed at boosting job creation will reach the Senate floor Monday, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

“For Senate Democrats, creating jobs is job number one,” said Reid during a press conference Thursday

Reid, along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bryon Dorgan (D-N.D.) presented the ‘Democratic Jobs Agenda.' The three page agenda lacks detail, but outlines tax incentives for businesses that hire new employees and provide greater access to credit through lending programs.

“We support programs to help small businesses more easily access the credit they need to expand and hire more workers, to export their products to foreign markets and to create a Small Business Lending Pool to help community banks more quickly lend to small businesses,” according to the text of the agenda.

In reference to losing a Democratic seat to Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, Schumer said that Democrats have "heard the message of Massachusetts."

“The message wasn't 'don’t do health care.' More than half the people polled said they liked health care and we should do it,” said Schumer. Instead, Schumer said, the message was to "focus immediately on jobs, the economy, helping the middle class.”

“This is a good faith offering on the Democratic side. We are inviting our friends on the Republican side to join us. Bring your best ideas forward,” said Durbin. “Let’s put these on the floor and move on them with a sense of urgency. It is of highest priority of the people of this country. It should be the highest priority in the Senate.”

Baucus Bill Could Delay Legal Immigrant Health Care Access

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

Today, four immigration advocacy organizations urged the Senate Finance Committee Monday to provide legal and illegal immigrants with healthcare access. The National Immigration Law Center, the Center for Community Change, the National Council for La Raza and the National Immigration Forum are asking members of Congress to include provisions for legals in the recently unveiled America's Healthy Future Act. The Senate Finance Committee is slated to begin markup of the plan tomorrow.

Sonal Amegaokar is a health policy attorney of the National Immigration Law Center. She said that the glut of eligibility provisions currently in place could inadvertently block millions of eligible immigrants from receiving the benefits provided through the legislation. “At worst, the (healthcare reform legislation) will make it more difficult for eligible people from getting the coverage they deserve,” she said. “Health care reform today is progressing but is clearly not reflecting the reality of our society today... The more people you have covered and the more people you have paying into the system, it’s a better system for all of us."

"The exclusion of immigrants creates a serious racial justice concern for the center of community change,” said Kate Kahan of the Center for Community Change.

The bill was released last week by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. The bill would create tax credits for small-businesses to offer insurance for their employees; allow people to maintain their existing coverage; standardize Medicaid coverage to people living 133 percent below the poverty level and create tax incentives for health care providers to use electronic medical records. The plan would cost $856 million over the next ten years.

Baucus said that his plan would not add to the federal deficit and would be funded "through increased focus on quality, efficiency, prevention and adjustments in federal health program payments" according to his website.

http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG 2009/091609 Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.pdf.

Senate Finance Committee Releases Long-Awaited Health Care Plan

by Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) released the Senate Finance Committee's highly-anticipated version of a health care reform proposal Wednesday, which he says has a strong chance of passing the Senate despite having no public Republican backing at this time.

In a statement, Baucus said "the $865 billion dollar package will not add to the Federal deficit" and will instead begin to decrease the deficit by the ninth year of its first 10-year implementation.

According to Baucus, under the proposal the Federal government would be responsible for most of the costs of insuring people. However, states would also have to come up with some of the money.

Under the plan, states would see about an .89 per cent net increase in Medicaid costs, which Baucus says has already been discussed with some state governors.

"I frankly think that this is pretty much resolved... that is the Medicaid expansion," Baucus said Wednesday. "We, our "Group of Six," have had several conversations with governors, several conference calls, one yesterday... with maybe a dozen governors, bipartisan, [and] explained what the net result would be to governors under expansion of Medicaid."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the $865 billion dollar gross price tag for "The America's Healthy Future Act" includes about $300 billion for Medicaid; $400 billion to Exchange Tax Credits (which are proposed credits for people purchasing plans on the individual market and not through employers); about $100 billion to Medicaid, Medicare and Doc Fix changes (which could include changes to health care insurance providers); and about $24 billion to small businesses for tax credits.

Sen. Baucus admitted that while he believes the Committee plan is good, more adjustments need to be made. He said he is relying heavily on changes to the proposal before it can best serve Americans.

The Senate Finance Committee will vote on the proposal next week.