Van Hollen: Senate Health Care Bill 'Unacceptable In Its Current Form'

The Plum Line:

In a strikingly candid assessment of the politics of health care, DCCC chief Chris Van Hollen said in an interview that the Senate bill's brand may be irrevocably tarnished, particularly among independents -- and confirmed that partly for this reason, Dem leaders may pass a new set of reforms via reconciliation, which could be repackaged free of the Senate bill's taint.

Van Hollen also added that it would be a mistake for Dems to pretend the unpopularity of the Senate reform proposals wasn't a factor in the Massachusetts loss.

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[vippy]

05:26 AM on 01/25/2010

Best thing if they put this healthcare reform into the trash and start anew! We need single payer or Public Option and, of course, cheaper imports of medicine but they never had any intentions of giving us what we want as long as they have theirs, they, the senators, took themselves right out of it. Wake up and vote third party or quit complaining!

[johnsonc20]

01:51 AM on 01/25/2010

Van Hollen is thinking clearly. It is heartening to see that a Democratic leader gets it. I hope that the House follows this path. It will result in a much better bill and will be more politically popular. Obama can get on board, and along with a majority of the Senate. Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Joe Lieberman can all happily vote no and it won't matter.

[sirale]

11:54 PM on 01/24/2010

Just pass the senate bill and immediately amend it through reconciliation that only needs a simple majority. Then the parts of the bill that were inserted to please the blue dog democrats can be modified. Just do not let this opportunity to pass!!!

[meko]

01:46 AM on 01/25/2010

Once the Senate bill is passed, it won't be fixed.

The same Corporate Democrats who propose this strategy are the ones who "held their noses" and voted for Bush's No Child Left Behind act. They vowed to fix it when they were in power. They won the House - no action. They won the Senate - no action. They still haven't fixed the decimation that NCLB wrought to education.

They will not fix the bill after. If reconciliation will work, then do it first and pass what remains of the Senate bill after. That way we know that nobody who was bought out by a lobbyist is lying.

[AyeChart]

08:53 PM on 01/24/2010

Slaving away behind locked doors, smoke-filled rooms, no C-span cameras--I don't think this will fly with the voters. Are they really going to try this?

[sirale]

12:01 AM on 01/25/2010

Just stop the C-SPAN non-sense, the final bill will be available to everyone and then we can decide if is good or bad. I prefer the negotiations being done that way to avoid the republicans to create another spin like the death pannels!!

[AnnfromCA]

06:55 AM on 01/25/2010

In CA, a friend of mine on Medicaid who is 40 was denied birth control. She can get a free tubal ligation, though.

You tell me that's not overstepping the rights of the state to dictate healthcare choices.

[SilenceDoGood1776]

12:46 PM on 01/23/2010

If the purpose of the health care reform is to cover every one. You should be against this bill as well, since 25 million people will still not be covered.

[meko]

01:48 AM on 01/25/2010

Most of those who gain coverage will do so through mandates to purchase insurance from politically connected monopolies that will face neither competition nor a robust regulator to enforce the consumer protections in the bill.

Furthermore, insurance coverage isn't health care. 21% of those who have mandated exchange insurance in Massachusetts forgo care because they can't afford the enormous out-of-pocket costs for the junk insurance sold on the exchanges.

[jcwtts1]

12:29 PM on 01/23/2010

This stance made sense before MA. There was a chance to push the senate. But since it is a numbers game and the senate is incapable of getting 60 votes we have two choices and neither is brilliant. Pass the senate bill and wave it through the house, or don't. Get nothing. Progressives are unhappy that they are going to have to close their eyes and think of England. Well, so am I. But I want something. Here is a "sob-story" from a progressive who wants the house to waive the bill through.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/01/one_readers_sob-story.php#more

the point of the article and the point of the waive through is that the senate bill does some things right. The rest, we can address in reconciliation later, but for now we have to start the clock rolling on Health care. The senate bill isn't perfect, isn't even close but it is a necessary first step. If we don't pass this bill now come see me in 50 years when we still haven't passed it.

[meko]

01:50 AM on 01/25/2010

Here's a response to that story. For all the troubles in it, the Senate bill is so corrupted that it won't fix any of the problems mentioned.

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/01/23/mds-sob-story/

Health care reform is a worthwhile goal. The loophole filled senate bill will not achieve that goal and will do more harm than good.

[Yaxchibonam]

12:25 PM on 01/23/2010

Take away lifetime healthcare for members of Congress. Maybe then they can relate to our concerns.

[marka]

07:44 AM on 01/23/2010

Regretfully, I think that the health care industry has out maneuvered the Democrats again. I think that this attempt goes down just like Hillarycare. There will be some slight tweak that will be labeled reform and that will be that. The problem that remains is that 75% of Americans are content with their health care coverage. They remain content until they aren't--and at that point it is too late. Health care will remain a problem. That will become more clear to our citizens when a true attempt is made to cut our budget. It is the portion of our budget that is way out of control.

[meko]

01:51 AM on 01/25/2010

Everyone loves their health care plan until they get sick.

[underoath]

07:09 AM on 01/23/2010

If the House doesn't pass the senate bill Health care reform is a lost cause and if the dude who run's the dccc doesn't think that's possible than it look's like Game Over.

[nomobull]

09:29 PM on 01/24/2010

the bill sucks

[sirale]

12:07 AM on 01/25/2010

It will suck more not to pass it. The bill can be modified through reconciliation later on. We have to be pragmatic and support this.

[suese]

11:19 PM on 01/22/2010

Senate bill is political suicide by Democrats.
There will be huge revolt when this goes into effect. People don't have jobs and won't have for few more years at least, lost their homes to foreclosure, no money for food,and now the collection agency they have to fear is the IRS. This will be the end the Democratic party. Why don't Democrats see it?

[AyeChart]

08:55 PM on 01/24/2010

The House bill (or anything concocted by Democrats alone behind locked doors) is also political suicide.

Strange how suicidal Democrats are now. What's going on?

[suese]

11:13 PM on 01/22/2010

We need to take away lifetime healthcare for congress. Maybe by state propositions.

That's the only thing that can make them understand what it's like trying to get private insurance on your own. Supreme court has made people out of companies, surely there must be a way to take away to send congress to get their insurance on individual market.

[suese]

11:09 PM on 01/22/2010

Doesn't Constitution article 1 section7 state that the House of rep will originate all bills having to do with revenue? Healthcare does have to do with revenue, so shouldn't the house bill be the one and then it states the senate proposes amendments to revenue bills. So the house bill should be sent to the senate for amendments.
There's probably an amendment to it. Just a technical.

[AyeChart]

08:56 PM on 01/24/2010

No, healthcare is a spending bill at heart, and the taxes are just thrown into it willy-nilly to allow Obama to claim it's revenue neutral. That's why it is such a monstrosity.

[AxelDC]

10:56 PM on 01/22/2010

The Senate bill is just a bad bill all around. Other than the positive of removing pre-existing conditions, it contains many key flaws:

1) It mandates that people buy insurance from private companies or fines them.
2) It taxes health insurance benefits, putting more people at risk of losing their employer-provided policies.
3) It mistakes subsidies for affordability. All you have to do is look at college education costs to see that subsidies (Pell Grants and Stafford Loans) only encourage providers to raise prices at huge expense to the government.
4) It relies on private companies to provide insurance, but does nothing to increase competition in this oligopoly.
5) By not providing for increased competition, all of the above encourage insurance companies to raise rates and does nothing to mitigate that inflationary pressure.

The bottom line is that the middle class will pay more for less and be taxed for the privilege. Reform shouldn't make the situation worse than it already is.”

[AdV2k1]

10:49 PM on 01/22/2010

I'm not happy about the senate bill,but SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.

Tons of other things need to get down, we can't talk about Health Care for years. Republicans will want stuff they want, and never vote for it, and delay until never . So just pass the Senate Version, and move on.

[AyeChart]

08:56 PM on 01/24/2010

No, something is not better than nothing. Would you prefer to be hit over the head with a 10-pound lead weight or nothing?

[nomobull]

09:30 PM on 01/24/2010

hmmmmmmmm

[meko]

01:52 AM on 01/25/2010

Something is not better than nothing. Forcing us to buy insurance from the people who brought us to this horrible status quo is not an improvement.

[GerryOregon]

10:16 PM on 01/22/2010

Dump the wretched piece of garbage Senate bill and pass something with reconciliation that truly reforms the system and brings down costs. That is the only thing that will save Democrat wimps little asses in their reelection campaigns.

[AxelDC]

10:56 PM on 01/22/2010

Just push the House bill through the Senate and it would be the best thing Democrats would have done in 40 years.

[nomobull]

09:36 PM on 01/24/2010

not if it doesn't change anything other than adding more victims to the health care books.