House’s health care bill faces sacking by Senate
OUR VIEWS Liberal bill far too expensive
THE OKLAHOMAN EDITORIAL
Comments
33
Published: November 10, 2009
PASSAGE of health care legislation in the U.S. House on Saturday had President Barack Obama the next day urging the Senate to "take up the baton and bring this effort to the finish line.” Unfortunately for backers of Obamacare, it won’t be that simple.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, is joined by (L-R) Majority Whip James Clyburn, and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Washington after the passage in the house of the health care reform bill. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Multimedia
Picture two sprinters trying to execute the baton transfer — with
Gerald McCoy bearing down on them from their blind side. That’s the reception awaiting the House bill in the Senate.
Even with 60 Democrats populating the chamber, health care as crafted by
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other liberals has virtually no chance in the Senate. Its trillion-dollar price tag, tax increases and government-run insurance option don’t fit the leading Senate proposals
Majority Leader Harry Reid is managing.
For example, the House’s public option is a non-starter in the Senate. Democrat-turned-independent
Sen. Joseph Lieberman of
Connecticut says he’ll filibuster legislation with any whiff of a public option in it. That’s why a number of senators uttered a three-letter response to the House legislation: D.O.A.
It’s significant that Democrats are struggling to get this kind of health care legislation through a Congress they control. It is decidedly unpopular with Americans who are wearying of deficit spending, bailouts and promises that big government is the answer to the economy, health care and other problems.
Yet despite polling that shows such disaffection with their approach, Democrats stubbornly press on, having talked themselves into believing Americans will be angry if they don’t fashion a federal overhaul of health care insurance.
Republicans can’t believe their good fortune! The far heftier price will come if Democrats defy public opinion with a program a number of experts say is a precursor to a government takeover of the entire health care system.
Instead of producing legislation that would strengthen private insurance while taking steps to slow rising health care costs, House leaders put on a partisan show Saturday. They passed a liberal bill that’s too expensive, cuts
Medicare and does little to control medical costs.
It will create a new entitlement and lay new
Medicaid burdens on the states.
Washington will gather unto itself the authority to dictate insurance coverage models and, ultimately, prices. "The Democrats are turning insurance into a product that no rational person would buy and then forcing everybody to buy it,”
National Review Online editorialized.
A simple baton pass from the House to Senate? Obama must have missed the
U.S. men’s and women’s relay teams fumbling their batons at the
2008 Summer Olympics. That’s a more apt illustration of what’s
Instead of producing legislation that would strengthen private insurance while taking steps to slow rising health care costs, House leaders put on a partisan show Saturday. They passed a liberal bill that’s too expensive, cuts Medicare and does little to control medical costs.
Related Topics:
U.S. Government,
Sports,
Health and Fitness,
Domestic Policy,
Social Policy,
Political Policy,
Politics,
U.S. Politics,
World Politics,
Olympic Games,
Summer Olympics,
Health Care Policy,
Health Care Issues,
Paying for Health Care
Leave a Comment
News Photo Galleriesview all
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
BREAKING NEWS!!!
The Statue of Liberty has just been renamed.
The new name is....
THE STATUE OF SOCIALISM!
The United States no longer offers Liberty and Freedom.
We offer SOCIALISM!
We are still being attacked by our own Government!
People, we rose up during the summer. We rose up at the TEA parties. We rose up at the Townhalls. We made our vocies heard. We were loud and clear. But did they listen? NO!
We sent e-mails. We wrote on blog sites. We wrote on newspaper websites like this one. But did they listen? NO!
But they will all hear us very soon. In 2010 thats when.
The day that they will hear us is, is the day these Socialists Parasites in Washington are cleaning out their desks because they got VOTED out in 2010. That is when they will hear us - that is the day they should have listened. Yes, they will all hear us very soon!