CBO Score Is In
According to Jonathan Cohn at TNR, the CBO score is in, and it looks good.
Democrats in the administration and Congress have agreed on a set of amendments to the Senate health care bill. And, according to House leadership, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is certifying that the amendments will reduce the deficit. That should fulfill the parliamentary requirements of the reconciliation process, satisfy the demands of many nervous Democrats, and clear the way for the House to vote on health care reform.
Overall, according to leadership aides, the underlying Senate health care bill plus the amendments will reduce the deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years and $1.2 trillion in the second ten years. Democrats are calling it the “biggest deficit reduction measure in 25 years”–that is, since the 1993 Clinton budget.
This news should ease the anxiety of reform critics, both in Congress and beyond, who worry that health care reform will bankrupt the government or the country.
Looks like maybe we’re finally moving again. Nancy Pelosi had at one time said she wanted to post the bill 72 hours prior to a vote, but this is not binding. I think the hope is still to have a vote Saturday, and a bill for the President to sign before he leaves for Indonesia and Australia on Sunday. Hopefully, actually seeing the numbers and getting the CBO’s blessing will alleviate some of the misgivings of the Blue Dogs. We’ll also have to wait and see exactly how these savings were created.
Comment by Joanne Christian on 18 March 2010 at 10:42 am:
Waltzing Matilda…..Waltzing Matilda……
Comment by delacrat on 18 March 2010 at 11:47 am:
God forbid the Blue Dogs should have misgivings.
WTF has a Blue Dog ever done for you.
Comment by Scott P on 18 March 2010 at 1:05 pm:
Well, they do entertain me….no, wait a minute, that’s Blue Man Group. So, I guess, nothing.
Comment by cassandra m on 18 March 2010 at 1:16 pm:
And in another bit of hopeful news, Network (a coalition of nuns working for social justice) comes out in favor of passing this bill.
Comment by Jason Z on 18 March 2010 at 1:40 pm:
Oops: Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), a sophomore Dem who had a tougher-than-expected re-election bid in ‘08, has told the Dem caucus he will vote against the bill.
He becomes the 3rd member, along with Reps. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), to have switched from supporting the first bill, in Nov., to opposing the Senate version.
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/03/rules_panel_dem.php
Crying in my VB: Obama scraps Indonesia-Australia trip for healthcare
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031801838.html
Comment by Scott P on 18 March 2010 at 1:48 pm:
And in another bit of hopeful news, Network (a coalition of nuns working for social justice) comes out in favor of passing this bill.
You know, using nun’s cover could become a habit.
Comment by just kiddin' on 18 March 2010 at 6:00 pm:
Progressives are calling foul on the democrats. Norman Solomon and many others say “Rahm was right the progressives would cave”! I absolutely refuse to call those who caved in the early days progressives, they are not. They are liberals! From Lynn Woolsey to Anthony Weiner each taking their turns for over a year on cable tv, prancing and dancing to the public option tune,as one by one they caved, leaving only Dennis Kucinch holding the bag. Was it Rahms idea to take the President to Kunichs district? Hold a conversation on Airforce ONE? Have Daily Kos and Moveon threaten him with a challenger? Politricks is dirty and the President played a dirty hand from the beginning. He never intended to follow up with single payer, instead inviting big pharma and big insurance companies into the fold, while arresting doctors/nurses for their single payer positions. The public option was given away by the White House in their dirty deal with Big Pharma.
The question is now how any progressive can ever win again! The republican party in its minority position won the day, scaring the weak knee, lame ass democrats into their positions, all the while railing against reform. That was the game played by both parties. This bill is a sick bill, handing over 31 million americans to the for profits with little regulation. The claim “we will fix it later” is another dirty trap. It will never be fixed now, even States are forbidden to enact their own systems.
Real progressives so underwhelmed by the demorat party are considering going independent. Perhaps its best to let the right wing thugs take positions of power again, so the people can truly grasp the mentality of the corporate democrats. As Obama gave us that “hope an change rap”, hows that working out for us? Extending the war in Afganistan, killing civilians with drones, invading soverign nations (Pakistan) and threatening others, keep the wiretaps on american citizens, still torturing in Afganistan and who knows where else. If you continue to believe the democratic party will be the saving grace of this country, wait until Chris Dodd delivers the financial industry over to the financial industry. Dodd is a lame duck with the lamest of plans for financial regulation. When this health care bill passes, or the financial one after it, I for one in millions will not be celebrating, there is nothing to celebrate. Corporate America has proven their lobbying power is overwhelming, the american voter is now obsolete.
Comment by Unstable Isotope on 18 March 2010 at 6:16 pm:
The real progressive thing to do is only vote for perfect bills.
Comment by pandora on 18 March 2010 at 6:17 pm:
Is a “real” Progressive the same thing as a “real” American?
Comment by cassandra_m on 18 March 2010 at 7:57 pm:
Interestingly, Dennis Kucinich is not only voting for the bill, he is actively whipping for it — a thing his colleagues claim they hadn’t seen before.
Comment by Joanne Christian on 18 March 2010 at 8:25 pm:
Oh this is rich–my card-carrying union belonging nurse friend from Pa., has just contacted me to see if I was available on Saturday to protest with her in DC AGAINST HCR as written now. Of course I can’t, because I’m working that 2nd job for HC benefits that I want to keep, and are worth every cent–but I’ll wish her well—that union nurse, who also sees the horrific fall-out of this. Take that Sister.
Comment by Republican David on 18 March 2010 at 10:38 pm:
The new bill costs 70 billion dollars more than the old senate bill. Fortunately they plan to raid the long term health fund and social security to pay for it. I am so glad for fiscally responsible leadership.
Comment by Phuny on 18 March 2010 at 11:08 pm:
CBO: Health Bill Would Force Families to Buy Insurance Costing a Minimum of $12,000 Per Year
CNS News ^ | 3/18/2010
CBO: Health Bill Would Force Families to Buy Insurance Costing a Minimum of $12,000 Per Year–Whether Government or Employer Helps Them or Not (CNSNews.com) – If Congress passes the Senate health-care plan, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, American families will be required by federal law to buy a federally approved health insurance plan that will cost a minimum of $12,000 per year–and, on average, will cost $15,000 per year — whether their employer or the government helps them with the premium or not. Beginning in 2014, the Senate plan would require all individuals to buy health…
Comment by anononthisone on 18 March 2010 at 11:17 pm:
Thanks, further proof we should just go with a single payer system. Till then, I’ll settle for the first big improvement in two generations. The hippies that are working against this because it isn’t liberal enough are the same morons who voted Bush into office because of their “support” for Nader. REALITY is that half of this nation is made up of bass-akward conservatives that will obstruct anything too radically “progressive” – another 1/4 or so of the nation bases their opinion on the direction of the wind. These two factors combined means that major change will be slow and sometimes painful, but it must START somewhere.
Comment by Scott P on 19 March 2010 at 8:28 am:
I am so glad for fiscally responsible leadership.
Right. They should have just passed a “reform” bill that paid for itself purely by increasing the deficit. That’s what a fiscally responsible party would do.
Comment by Unstable Isotope on 19 March 2010 at 8:41 am:
I agree anononthisone. Resistance to change is so strong that you just have to bite the bullet and do it. When conservatives’ overheated rhetoric fails to come through and people start enjoying benefits then changes for the better will be a lot easier. I was reading something yesterday about the polling for Medicare when it was originally proposed. It was almost identical to the polling now for health care reform.
Comment by anon on 19 March 2010 at 8:48 am:
half of this nation is made up of bass-akward conservatives that will obstruct anything too radically “progressive” – another 1/4 or so of the nation bases their opinion on the direction of the wind.
Comment of the day (or yesterday anyway).
Comment by Phuny on 20 March 2010 at 1:55 pm:
is “Deem and Pass” just the federal version of Obama’s habitual voting “present”?
Comment by cassandra m on 20 March 2010 at 2:20 pm:
And CNS News is a wingnut propaganda venue — it certainly isn’t news worth a damn. If Phoney here is posting anything, you need to check it and check what is being quoted before relying on it. As I have demonstrated time and time again, Phoney, RICO, Lizard or whoever the hell this sockpuppet is posts provably wrong info 99% of the time.
Comment by Phuny on 20 March 2010 at 2:32 pm:
Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings (Fla.) just said this in the most powerful committee of the United States House of Representatives. The people’s house:
“There ain’t no rules here, we’re trying to accomplish something. . . .All this talk about rules. . . .When the deal goes down . . . we make ‘em up as we go along.”
Comment by just kiddin' on 20 March 2010 at 2:33 pm:
Cassandra: Why dont you be completely honest. Kucinch is not supporting the bill because he believes in it. He realizes its nothing but an insurance company giveway and said so this morning on the teevee. He believes and hopes the “states ability to enact their own single payer bill can and will be left in, thats is what he is working on”. He will also support Alan Graysons 4page amendment for Medicare for All. Kucinch hates this bill and for all the right reasons. He was not going to be the “only one” to vote against it, so the caved in libs could blame a real progressive for continuing the fight. Blame MOVEON, SEIU and DAILY KOS for their cave in. They could have stood up for a righteous bill, but no they caved like libs always do and went after Kucinch. Dennis will continue the fight no matter what this corporate bunch of dems do. Millions will stand with them. The Doctors/Nurses and true progressives will fight on.
Comment by cassandra m on 20 March 2010 at 3:01 pm:
just kiddin’: Why don’t you get a clue? I made no claims as to why Kucinich is supporting the bill — just a *link* to a story about Kucinich helping to whip votes for the bill.
But don’t let me get in the way of a good delusion!