March 24th, 2010
06:30 PM ET

Senate Republicans launch next round of health care fight

Senate Republicans launched an attempt to attach a series of amendments Wednesday to legislation expanding the recently enacted health care reform law - part of a GOP pledge to use every parliamentary tool available to undermine the measure.

The amendments also are designed to force Democrats to cast unpopular votes in the runup to this November's midterm elections. Senate Democrats easily defeated the first of the amendments, which challenged provisions in the bill involving changes to Medicare funding.

The Democrats' so-called "fixes" bill was necessary to get a reluctant House of Representatives to pass the Senate's health care reform measure Sunday night.

The House's narrow approval of the measure allowed President Barack Obama to sign it into law Tuesday - giving the president a victory on his signature domestic issue. But in return, House Democrats are now expecting the Senate to sign off on the compromises included in the fixes bill.

Read the CNN.com story

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Filed under: Health Care • Politics
soundoff (3 Responses)
  1. DreWhite

    With an unemployment rate of 10 percent, combined with an increasing number of Americans who are becoming dependant on government programs, the republicans are not fighting for the poor. The health care bill was needed for a long time. When I heard Joe Biden uttered the F word, I was thinking "FINALLY"
    Now as Americans, we need jobs. If republicans get back the majority, we could find them cutting back more social programs that Americans (especially poor Americans) need.
    As voters, we need to realize who is actually fighting for the poor, and those who look after the interest of the wealthy.

    March 24, 2010 at 10:33 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Stephen Keyes

    Even Sen. Jim Demint (R) on Hannity (FOX) called these machinations by Senate Republicans a side show. And I could not believe Sen. Judd Gregg's heightened indignation over Senate Democrats voting along strict party lines against Republican obstructionist amendments to the House reconciliation bill. Is this what we sent these people to Washington to do? GET ON WITH THE PEOPLE"S BUSINESS. As was noted by Rep Gingrich (?) I believe it was, back, when the Republicans had recaptured the House – Elections have consequences. And the Republicans then passed the Contract with America' (all of which was developed off-site by many lobbyists and unelected Republican leadership) BEFORE the election (and not even in Congressional cloak room), without Democratic input. Regardless how one comes down on this bill, it is time for the 'heavy lifting'. Republicans need to step up and push for medical tort reform and cross-state transportability of insurance like they pushed in talks earlier to help drive medical costs down. I wonder, though, are they really willing to step on current states' rights over insurance, or was that just another example of political rhetoric to kill the bill...? Now that it appears that insurance companies will have an additional 32 milliion policy holders to draw a profit from (many from government subsidies), and minimal insurance standards have been set to ensure near universal access to the 'best medical care in the world, it is now time to facilitate cross state competition and to address the 'fee for service' and the level of defensive medicine so rampant today. And like the health bill, all future bills should address deficit reduction as does the health care bill with the education loan element. Not everything needs to be cut, but rather we need fiscal re-prioritization and this should be openly stated as every bill is submitted. Submit a bill for the 'doctor fix' and identify off-setting budget reductions and claim something positive going into the Fall elections for a change. –From a disgusted and fiercely Independent voter in NH–

    March 25, 2010 at 8:58 am | Report abuse |
  3. tidbits

    i hope the Reps keep finding mistakes & make iit go back to the house where i'm sure the Pelosi lap dogs will vote for it again

    March 25, 2010 at 9:14 am | Report abuse |
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