Senate Must Extend Medicaid Assistance Within Jobs Bill, Say Democrats

By Benny Martinez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

The newly-unveiled jobs bill includes legislation that would extend funding of the states’ Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) by six months, said Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.).

FMAP legislation is next in line in a series of initiatives for the Senate jobs agenda. According to a press release, the legislation will help states with the cost of Medicaid programs to help preserve critical health care assistance for millions of Americans.

In a conference call with reporters on Friday, Rockefeller, along with Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D), said that passing the FMAP extension is necessary to preserve jobs and it must be done quickly.

“We have to act swiftly to pass this because if we don’t, it’ll cost the economy up to 900 thousand jobs lost and we can’t have that,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Levin said that he doesn’t believe a filibuster will be able to stop the bill from passing.

“There was a lesson learned [with] Senator Bunning,” Levin said. “It was clear that the public outcry was strong [then], and I think that kind of outcry will also be strong here, so I will be optimistic that we’re going to be able to get this bill passed with its FMAP provisions.”

Rockefeller said the six-month extension of FMAP is the second of its kind. The first was included in the legislation of the original stimulus package in 2009.

Rockefeller Introduces Public Option Amendment To Finance Committee Bill

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

The biggest debate on the fifth day of markup of the America’s Healthy future Act focused heavily on the “public option.” Liberal Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa.) introduced his amendment to Senate Finance Comittee Chairman Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) mark providing for a “public option,” or what he calls the “Consumer Choice Health Plan.”

The debate began with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) criticizing Rockefeller's amendment, calling it a “Trojan horse for a single payer program [that] would lead to Washington controlling health care and monitoring prices."

Rockefeller kept a stern attitude on his amendment stating that, “It would not be a government takeover." However, the West Virginia Democrat refused to answer questions put to him by Hatch.

Heavy debate ensued on non-profit insurance programs from Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and how well they have worked in his state, and how poorly the US as a whole compares to other nations. Conrad made a compelling argument for the “Mutual” based system with non-profit companies that would attempt to provide for universal healthcare coverage.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) further argued that Medicare rates would be fixed during the first two years under Rockefeller's amendment - Rockefeller proudly held up two fingers. After the two years though, explained Bingaman, rates would be further negotiated, which would essentially adjust prices to fit in line with private companies.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) compared the health care plan to universities, saying that "There’s both a private university and public university...there should be a choice."

Democrats agreed that Rockefeller’s amendment would build competition within the open market, while Republicans contended that it will bring price adjustments along with a government-run, single payer takeover of the entire healthcare system.

“This is a slippery slope to go down… it will lead to a government-run single payer option,” said Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.).

Markup is scheduled to continue late Tuesday night and will reconvene Wednesday morning.

Baucus Shoots Down GOP Amendment

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

While Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee welcomed and praised the work from the Republican members during the continuation of the markup of America’s Healthy Future Act, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) worked fast to shoot down an amendment proposed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), calling it "Unconstitutional", due to the fact that it requires a congressional agency to issue an order that has consequences towards the executive branch.

According to Baucus, the Republican Senator did not have enough data to back up an amendment that would require Congressional Budget Office certification for cuts made to Medicare advantage.

Republican committee members continued to urge a slow markup process while Democratic members requested that the committee move faster, noting that thousands of Americans continue to lose their health coverage.

With approximately 500 amendments proposed, the markup is expected to last well beyond Wednesday.

Senate Democrats Accuse Republicans Of Stalling Health Care Reform

By Mariko Lamb-Talk Radio News Service

A number of Democratic Senators said during a press conference Wednesday that the Senate Finance Committee will have a bipartisan health care bill passed by the end of this year, but accused Republicans and health insurance companies of hindering the bill's progress.

“Republicans’ role in this is all about ‘slow down, stop, and no’... that’s what the Republican leadership has been all about,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Republicans are implementing their “irresolution resolution,” said fellow HELP Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “Despite all the stories of real Americans: their heartache, their frustration, their anger, ultimately even their disgust with the health care system they're trapped in, [Republicans continue to] turn the most desperate domestic policy crisis in our country into political theater.”

In response to recent town hall protests against health care reform, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W.V) said these protests disrupt the message. “The story becomes the disruption, not the message,” he said. “We’re utterly, desperately serious about it and we’re trying to interpret it to the people we represent who in our states desperately need it. We’re precluded from doing so by these types of tactics.”

“We’re still struggling in the Finance Committee, and that’s okay, because one thing that I’m very certain about is that we’re going to have a health care bill...and we’re going to have it by the end of this year,” he added.