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Obama now seeks pared-down health care bill
AP

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer – 16 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Chastened by the Democratic Senate loss in Massachusetts, President Barack Obama and congressional allies signaled Wednesday they will try to scale back his sweeping health care overhaul in an effort to at least keep parts of it alive.

A simpler, less ambitious bill emerged as an alternative only hours after the loss of the party's crucial 60th Senate seat forced the Democrats to slow their all-out drive to pass Obama's signature legislation and reconsider all options.

No decisions have been made, lawmakers said, but they laid out a new approach that could still include these provisions: limiting the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage to people with medical problems, allowing young adults to stay on their parents' policies, helping small businesses and low-income people pay premiums and changing Medicare to encourage payment for quality care instead of sheer volume of services.

Obama urged lawmakers not to try to jam a bill through, but scale the proposal down to what he called "those elements of the package that people agree on."

"We know that we need insurance reform, that the health insurance companies are taking advantage of people," the president said in an interview with ABC News. "We know that we have to have some form of cost containment because if we don't then our budgets are going to blow up. And we know that small businesses are going to need help."

Another option, which called for the House to try to quickly pass the Senate version of the broader bill — bypassing the Senate problem created by the loss of the Massachusetts seat to Republican Scott Brown — appeared to be losing favor.

"That's a bitter pill for the House to swallow," said the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100120/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/emd2k3/obama_cringe.jpg

Mandates?

That would be a pared down bill... Mandates and nothing else. Maybe a tax on union health plans. Hell, maybe a tax on unions.

"Gotta get what we can when we can... know what I mean? We'll come back later. Really..."

If he is backpedaling the day after the MA defeat, it is dead.

don't know if that slows things down or speeds them up

if that ain't the straw that breaks the camel's back then what it's gonna take is too awful to contemplate.

White House, Democratic lawmakers cut deal on deficit commission
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011903310.html


Faced with growing alarm over the nation's soaring debt, the White House and congressional Democrats tentatively agreed Tuesday to create an independent budget commission and to put its recommendations for fiscal solvency to a vote in Congress by the end of this year.

Under the agreement, President Obama would issue an executive order to create an 18-member panel that would be granted broad authority to propose changes in the tax code and in the massive federal entitlement programs -- including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- that threaten to drive the nation's debt to levels not seen since World War II.

The accord comes a week before Obama is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union address to a nation increasingly concerned about his stewardship of the economy and the federal budget. After a year in which he advocated spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a huge economic stimulus package and a far-reaching overhaul of the health-care system, Obama has pledged to redouble his effort to rein in record budget deficits even as he has come under withering Republican attack.

The commission would deliver its recommendations after this fall's congressional elections, postponing potentially painful decisions about the nation's fiscal future until after Democrats face the voters. But if the commission approves a deficit-reduction plan, Congress would have to act on it quickly under the agreement, forged late Tuesday in a meeting with Vice President Biden, White House budget director Peter R. Orszag, and Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.).

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who has long advocated creation of an independent budget panel, called the agreement an "understanding in concept" that holds the promise of at last addressing the nation's most wrenching budget problems.

"This goes to the question of the country's credibility with managing its own finances. This is essential for the nation," Conrad said.

(more)


On one of the "progressive" sites, there was a thread claiming that "This is the last straw" and that "Obama is not a Democrat".

Wrong on both counts...

"...in the massive federal entitlement programs -- including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- that threaten to drive the nation's debt to levels not seen since World War II."


That's what's driving our debt? Not the costs (direct and indirect) of war? Of corporate-favorable tax laws?

Come on.

And it is a emergency, and we must act quickly, and no time for debate, blah blah.

I remember the first time he said that the nation had to "have a conversation about social security". I cringed, because I knew exactly what he meant. I expect more "terra" attacks so they can "justify" keeping their defense budget while cutting everything else.

"I should have had Michelle try to push for this..."

This shit writes itself...

Yep, this is the result. The health care bill is the result of Do Something Now!

All our wasted time talking about the root causes of things, the real reason for things, when we could be supporting the passage of bills and the election of politicians who make things even WORSE.

Gawd, what were we thinking?