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Health bill clears hurdle with support from Snowe

A gavel and papers are seen at the seat of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, before the start of the committee's hearing regarding health care reform. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., left, accompanied by the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa gavels the start of the hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, regarding health care reform. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, for the committee's hearing regarding health care reform. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Senate Finance Committee members Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, left, and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, during the committee's hearing on the health care bill. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

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By DAVID ESPO, The Associated Press Updated 2:26 AM Wednesday, October 14, 2009

WASHINGTON — Historic legislation to expand U.S. health care and control costs won its first Republican supporter Tuesday and cleared akey Senate hurdle, a double-barreled triumph that propelled President Barack Obama's signature issue toward votes this fall in both houses of Congress.

"When history calls, history calls," said Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, whose declaration of support ended weeks of suspense and provided the only drama of a 14-9 vote in the Senate Finance Committee. With her decision, the 62-year-old lawmaker bucked her own leadership on the most high-profile issue of the year in Congress, and gave the drive to remake health care at least a hint of the bipartisanship that Obama seeks.

At the White House, Obama called the events "a critical milestone" toward remaking the nation's health care system. He praised Snowe as well as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the committee, and declared, "We are going to get this done."

There were fresh challenges. Within minutes of the vote, labor unions and large business organizations both demanded changes in the bill, which was an attempt at a middle-of-the-road measure fashioned by the committee under Baucus' leadership.

Still, nearly nine months after the president pledged in his Inaugural Address to tackle health care, legislation to expand coverage to millions who lack it has now advanced further than President Bill Clinton's ill-fated effort more than a decade ago — or any other attempt in more than a generation.

The next move in the Senate is up to Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose office said the full Senate would begin debate on the issue the week of Oct. 26.

Nominally, Reid must first blend the bill that cleared during the day with a version that passed earlier in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. But in reality, the majority leader — with the participation of the White House — has a virtual free hand in fashioning a measure to wind up gaining the 60 votes needed to overcome a threatened Republican filibuster.

"The bottom line here is we need a final bill, a merged bill, that gets 60 votes," Baucus said. "Our goal is to pass health care reform not just talk about it."

Reid's most politically sensitive decision revolves around proposals for the federal government to sell insurance in competition with private industry. The Senate bill approved in committee during the day omits the provision, while the one passed earlier includes it and many House Democrats support it as well.

In general, bills moving toward floor votes in both houses would require most Americans to purchase insurance, provide federal subsidies to help those of lower incomes afford coverage and give small businesses help in defraying the cost of coverage for their workers.

The measures would bar insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions, and for the first time limit their ability to charge higher premiums on the basis of age or family size. Expanded coverage would be paid for by cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from future Medicare payments to health care providers. Each house also envisions higher taxes — an income tax surcharge on million-dollar wage-earners in the case of the House, and a new excise levy on insurance companies selling high-cost policies in the case of the Senate Finance Committee bill.

Apart from Snowe, Republicans on the committee cited higher taxes, a greater federal role in the insurance industry and other concerns as they lined up to oppose the bill.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the legislation would place the nation on a "slippery slope to more and more government control of health care."

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, elicited testimony earlier from the head of the Congressional Budget Committee that a substantial portion of the bill's tax increases would fall on groups Obama has vowed would be protected: individuals making $200,000or less and couples below $250,000.

Snowe, too, said there were problems with the bill, but on balance, the risks of doing nothing were too great.

"We should also contemplate the decades of inaction that have brought us to this crossroads," she said. "The status quo approach has produced one glaring common denominator, that is that we have a problem that is growing worse, not better."

The vote made the Finance Committee the last of five in Congress to complete its work on health care. It also marked a personal triumph for Baucus, who weathered criticism from fellow Democrats after his attempt at bipartisanship cratered earlier this fall after months of exhaustive effort. In the end, disgruntled liberals on the panel, including Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Ron Wyden of Oregon, went along in hopes the bill eventually would be reshaped more to their liking.

Across the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her lieutenants have been at work for weeks trying to blend legislation approved by three House committees. The eventual result is certain to include a government option, but the details of the plan have split the rank-and-file and leaders have spent days struggling with the issue.

One group favors allowing the government to negotiate with doctors, hospitals and other health care providers for fees to be paid to treat patients who have federal insurance policies, an approach that involves higher costs for the government.

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Spent an hour talking with one of Senator Voinovich's aides while I was in D.C. recently

The door to Senator Voinovich’s health care vote is not completely closed to the “public option” Am sure of this. Folks from Ohio and around the nation should be emailing, phone calling, visiting Voinovich on the “public option”

This is his last year in office he can afford to vote for the public's needs and not the Insurance Industries profit margins.

Call, write go visit his office in D.C.

Kathleen
2:06 PM, 10/16/2009

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Just spent the last six days in D.C. Spent hours with aides in the offices of Senator Voinovich, Senator Brown (on the I/P issue) and Congressman Wilson of Ohio. Also attended the Senate hearing on Tuesday. What a pleasure to watch the expressions of the Rethugs as Snowe took some of the wind out of their $ails.

Kathleen
2:00 PM, 10/16/2009

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AGAIN WE MUST REMEMBER MOST OF THE MASSES BELIEVE THEY ARE OWED SOMETHING IN LIFE. THEY BELIEVE THE LEFT WILL LEAD THEM TO THE PROMISE LAND. BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN LIFE, THEY BELIEVE IN DEATH. WHAT MAKES ANY OF YOU THINK THE GOVERMENT LEFT OR RIGHT HAS OUR BEST INTEREST IN MIND. BARRY, HARRY, AND PRINCESS WANT THE POWER. IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING WHEN THE MASSES REALIZE THAT THEIR LOVED ONES MIGHT DIE, WHEN HEALTH CARE IS LIMITED AND THEY ARE DEEMED WORTHLESS.

whatever
8:33 PM, 10/14/2009

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Smaller Gov't and lack of regulation brings you to the problems we now face in this country and faced in the last depression. The greed factor requires control of business and commerce. The best control should start with limiting Lobbyists owning politicians. There are entirely too many bought and paid for( like John Boenher) who work only to serve those with the biggest pockets ( like the insurance companies)

Bill in Brookville
9:27 PM, 10/13/2009

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There's no point trying to present facts to backwards, very well-fed teabaggers. They don't seem to understand that they are the minority and don't have any power. Go away angry mobs - we will fix our country without your help.

NOBODY EVER SAID "FREE HEALTHCARE" WE WANT AFFORDABLE HEATHCARE. I WORK HARD YOU MORONS - QUIT RIPPING ME OFF.

You can't fix STUPID
8:42 PM, 10/13/2009

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