SC, Ga. senators react angrily as health care bill nears next vote
By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2010-01-04 10:46:51 | Word Count: 529
U.S. senators from Georgia and South Carolina continue to express both concern and anger over a Democratic health care bill that received a second round of approval in the Senate. The 60-39 vote Tuesday to silence debate on the package put together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid put the legislation one step closer to a Christmas Eve vote.
Some senators, including South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, have said the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion plan is unconstitutional, inefficient and economically burdensome to taxpayers. On Tuesday’s edition of NBC’s Today show, Mr. Graham said some of the measures used to gain passage of the bill were “sleazy.”
[ advertisement ]
Mr. Graham and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., requested that South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster review special funding arrangements negotiated with Democratic Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, according to a release from Mr. McMaster’s office. Both senators believe the funding appears to give Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying Medicaid expenses that other states must pay. Mr. McMaster said he will convene with other attorneys general to determine the legality of the move.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., voiced concern about the tax increases he said the legislation would require. He said on the Senate floor that the package would increase federal taxes by almost $26 billion. However, he added, 23 million Americans would still be left uninsured.
“That’s not what we’ve heard from day one from the folks on the other side of the aisle about making sure that every single American was covered,” he said.
Beyond the tax increases, forcing Americans to purchase any product, including health insurance, is unconstitutional, Mr. DeMint said Tuesday through his press secretary Ryan Dawkins.
“This is not at all like car insurance. You can choose not to drive, but Americans will have no choice whether to buy government-approved insurance,” he said. “This is nothing more than a bailout and takeover of insurance companies. ... This is not liberty; it is tyranny of good intentions by elites in Washington who think they can plan our lives better than we can.”
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said he was disappointed by the outcome and measures the Democrats took in passing the bill. The legislation’s greatest injustice will be to the Medicare system, which will lose $470 billion if the health care reform bill is signed into law, Mr. Isakson said. The growing number of baby boomers who will need Medicare will have to pay for their own health care cost.
“It ended up being a divisive bill over abortion, public option and Medicare,” he said. “I know there are a lot of incremental steps we can do that would not raise taxes, would reduce the number of uninsured and that wouldn’t cut out Medicare. I’m disappointed, but I think we did put up a good fight.”
