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Senate votes health care cuts

WASHINGTON: Snowflakes swirled around the Capitol on Saturday, whipped by wintry winds, but on the Senate floor inside, a heated debate raged as Democrats and Republicans traded jabs over legislation to achieve President Obama’s goal of near-universal health insurance coverage.

By a vote of 53-41, the Senate on Saturday rejected a Republican effort to block cutbacks in payments to home health agencies that provide nursing care and therapy to homebound Medicare beneficiaries.

Republicans voted against the cuts, saying they would hurt some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Most Democrats supported the cutbacks, saying they would eliminate waste and inefficiency in home care.

The Democrats’ health care bill would reduce projected Medicare spending on home care by $43 billion, or 13 per cent, over the next 10 years. The savings would help offset the cost of subsidising coverage for the uninsured.

Mr. Obama planned to visit Capitol Hill later on Sunday to attend a meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus. The caucus is split over several major provisions of the bill, including one that would create a government health plan to compete with private insurers. A handful of Democrats and Republican Senator Olympia J. Snowe met on Saturday to explore ideas for a possible compromise on the public plan.

In the past, weekend sessions of Congress have dealt with momentous issues like impeachment or fiscal emergencies. But the Saturday session — the sixth day of Senate debate on the giant health care bill — felt, in some ways, like an ordinary workday, as Snators debated the health care bill in public and tried to thrash out differences in private.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid (Democrat), said the Senate had to meet on Saturday so it could finish work on the bill before the end of the year.

“Fourteen thousand people lose their health insurance every day in America,” said Mr. Reid. “The American people don’t get weekends off from this injustice. Bankruptcy does not keep bankers’ hours. The bills don’t go away just because it’s Sunday or Saturday. The pain is still there. And so our work continues this weekend.”

Senator Bob Casey (Democrat), said: “We gather on a Saturday, which is rare. But it is entirely appropriate and, I think, essential that we spend the time on a weekend to debate this bill and get it passed.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, said his party would not bow to pressure from Mr. Reid. “The majority leader believes that somehow if we stay in on weekends, Republicans are going to blink,” said McConnell. “I can assure him we are not going to blink. The longer we discuss this with the American people, the more unpopular it becomes.”

Indeed, Republicans appeared to relish the debate. “A fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed,” said Senator John McCain (Republican). Senator Bob Corker (Republican) said, “I would not want to be any other place than on the floor today talking about the most important piece of legislation we probably will deal with in our tenure here.”

Much of the debate on Saturday focused on what Mr. McCain had said as the Republican presidential candidate in 2008. Democrats said it was odd to see Mr. McCain styling himself as a defender of Medicare because, in the past, he had favoured deep cuts. Mr. McCain denied that he had tried to cut Medicare benefits.

Democrats said Republicans were stalling. Republicans tried to put Democrats on the defensive. — © 2009 The New York Times News Service

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