Will House Democrats Swallow the Senate's Poison Pills?
03/02/2010Source: Republican Study Committee
WASHINGTON – Aside from the problems with using budget reconciliation for their government takeover of health care, Democrat leaders still have to convince enough House Democrats to vote for the Senate bill without any changes. That’s no easy task considering the Senate version contains a number of provisions which many House members have indicated they simply can’t stomach. In order to pass the Senate bill, House Democrats will have to vote in favor of:
- Federal Funding of Abortion – Accounting gimmicks aside, the Senate bill clearly allows for taxpayer funding of abortion. The Senate language is very different from the Stupak language continuing the ban on federal funding of abortion, which was included in the House bill with the support of 64 House Democrats.
- A Tax on Union Cadillac Plans – The Senate bill imposes a $148.9 billion tax on so-called “Cadillac” health insurance plans. This tax is vehemently opposed by Big Labor and its Democrat allies in the House.
- The Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, etc. – The Senate bill still contains all the unsavory deals Senate Democrats made behind closed doors in order to get their bill passed.
- A Ban on Participation of Illegal Immigrants – Even though the Senate bill has the same insufficient and ineffective verification methods as the House version, it does bar illegal immigrants from purchasing coverage through the Exchange with their own dollars.
- The PhRMA Deal – Many House Democrats decried the deal the White House brokered with PhRMA last year to cap the pharmaceutical industry’s cost concessions at $80 billion. The Senate bill kept that deal intact.
- A Watered-Down Public Option – It’s not just moderate Democrats who have problems with the Senate bill. While it still contains a form of the government-run plan via an exchange and co-ops, that hasn’t satisfied liberals who are still pushing for a “robust” public option.
