Dem House vote-counter lacks health care votes now

Despite the arm-twisting, Phrma sell-out, vote-buying, defamation and outright distortion of facts, it appears the week will start without enough Democrat votes to get Obamacare into the Senate or to the President as scheduled.

The House's chief Democratic headcounter said Sunday he hadn't rounded up enough votes to pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul heading into a make-or-break week, even as the White House's top political adviser said he was "absolutely confident" in its prospects.

The administration gave signs of retreating on demands that senators jettison special home-state deals sought by individual lawmakers that have angered the public.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

I guess the real question now is not how much Obamacare will cost, but how much it will cost in giveaways and special favors just to get it passed?

jw

I guess the cost will be if there is or isnt a public option

no public option will make this pretty pricy...but with a public option, it might actually turn a profit...enough to secure some other health programs they have.

There can be debates of course on if the government should be turning a profit and getting into business, but eventually we are going to face the fact that the money has to come from somewhere without soaking the people in ungodly taxes.

reply to post by SaturnFX

]quote]I guess the cost will be if there is or isn't a public option


I believe the public option will arise de-facto due to the destruction of private insurance by the passage of ANY version of Obamacare.

Once enacted, the restrictions and regulations will drive private employers out of the insurance procurement business, and private insurers will drop out one by one as costs exceed profits.

They'll resort to other forms of true insurance, like property/casualty (hurricanes, catastrophic accidents, et c.) and disability.

The additional costs of passage, alone, will be several billions of dollars added to the deficit.

jw

Just wondering... I wonder if that's a proper vote they don't have the "ayes" for or if that's the reconciliation vote?

And I wonder how desperate they will be to pull their "Slaughter" solution?

reply to post by sos37


There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. the Bill requires a simple majority to win.

Reconciliation is a budgetary process in which the House and Senate "reconcile" differences between the bill versions each has approved. Final vote on the conference committee's single "reconciled" version is again by simple majority in each house.

jw

reply to post by jdub297
I'm also wondering what the total cost will be. Obviously the administration is going to have to spend more to get it passed.......but what will it all cost in the end. Surely this will be challenged in court many times....what's gonna be the final tally? No one knows, but it will be a sad day for America.

reply to post by adifferentbreed

The costs of stopping the bill and defeating it in court will be far less than if it is fully implemented.

Pelosi and Reid know this. They have come to realize that the only thing Obama wants is A BILL, lawfully or not. They will likely have to "deem" the bill approved without ever forcing members to take an otherwise embarrassing vote.

It is now purely a political sham; only for show.

They can then go to their owners and report "mission accomplished."

If the state AGs or someone else fight the bill or its parts in court, THEY will take the "blame" for the failure and wasted money, effort and time.

Obama and the Democrats can then run on their "accomplishment," regardless of the fact that no one other than them actually wanted it.

jw

An internal message was sent out from the President of the largest U.S.
health insurance company stating that if the current reform bill passes,
premiums will be increased 150% across the board to compensate for
the in-rush of high risk individuals.

I sure hope the 2,300 page bill has a provision for allowing people to
buy into Medicare if their insurance becomes too expensive or the
company leaves the health insurance business.

The bill's passage will drive enough health insurance companies out of
business to add roughly 3 million people to the unemployment rolls.
Just what this country doesn't need with our economy struggling the
way it is.
-cwm

reply to post by carewemust

The bill's passage will drive enough health insurance companies out of
business to add roughly 3 million people to the unemployment rolls.
Just what this country doesn't need with our economy struggling the
way it is.

The bill is primarily intended to drive employers and insurers OUT of the health care business, leaving the government, de facto, in charge.

Public option by default!

That is all this has been or ever will be.

Deny ignorance.

jw

When they finally release the estimated cost, TRIPLE it.

No government programs or agencies ever come in at spending less and they all over-spend. It always costs more.

This bill creates over a hundred new federal agencies, all of whom are going to want the high priced office furniture, computers, decor, as well as a gaggle of employees to tell us what we can and cannot have in the way of medical services and insurance.

THose administrative costs will contribute nothing to decreasing insurance premiums or providing health care services for people who have none now.

reply to post by Jenadots

Excellent point. When Medicare was first enacted, the true cost was also hidden and misrepresented.

Today, the annual cost is over 200 times what it was at inception and 600 times higher than pre-enactment "estimates." As of 2008 the fund paying out more than it took in and is projected to be depleted before 2030.

jw