Washington (CNN)– The Senate will vote Saturday on opening debate on the sweeping health care bill introduced by Democrats, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday.
At a celebratory news conference the day after unveiling the 2,074-page bill, Reid and other leading Senate Democrats touted it as long overdue reform that will provide health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans while reducing the federal deficit.
Republicans have vowed to try to block the bill, requiring Reid to round up 60 votes in the 100-member Senate to overcome a GOP filibuster and launch debate.
The Democratic caucus is composed of 58 Democratic senators and two independents. However, some conservative and moderate Democrats have expressed concern with provisions in the health care bill.
Asked Thursday if he had the votes to launch debate, Reid said: "We'll find out."
From CNN Politics
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Go for it Dems! If you can't do it with 60, work around the rules so that you only need a majority. That's what the GOPs would do if the positions were reversed. Enough of the nicey-nice - let's get some hardball politics going. The majority of the public wants this - only the Senate is blocking the way. And when it's done strip Lieberman of his committee chairmanships - that insurance-industry zombie doesn't deserve them.
The government is now investigating how the Obama adminstration sent porkulus money to non-existent congressional districts.
And they want to run healthcare?
Incompetence + arrogance = decay
BE AFRAID AMERICA if this welfare for unions bill passes.
Reid is an idiot!!! He will be voted out of office in 2010.!!!!!
If Dems want to get this bill pass, just add a tax cut for the rich or forture 500 companies. Eliminate taxes on insurance company's profit and you will unaminous support.
They have concerns...isn't that what the debate part of the approval process is designed to deal with????? Isn't debate and discussion a good thing????? I just don't get politicians...from either party!
Debate over bill the American people cannot understand, and spending that cannot be written. Is this what we are getting?
I'm not paying a bunch of senators with my tax dollars to sit around doing nothing all day! What a waste! Modern filibusters are even more ridiculous than old fashioned ones and they are used entirely too often. At least they should read the phone book or make long-winded speeches.
Regardless, it frustrates me when the minority blocks debate.It's as if to say, "We are afraid of this and the American people don't deserve to hear us debate it." If you're going to obstruct a bill, obstruct the final vote and DO SOME WORK by debating the bill. If I sat around doing nothing all day, I'd be out of work the next!
As an Independent I will be watching for those (obstructionist) that block the debate vote. The Americans want this to ove forward, good, bad or indiferent, get the ball rolling.
2074 pages of new government agencies and committees created to inject more government into our health care. Plus tons of govenment, regulations and mandates on business, individuals and insurance companies. We all know from the experience of history that it is not possible for congress, wether the Senate or the House to write a bill this massive without it winding up being a disaster.
You should be able to write a bill of about 200 to 300 pages to cover those who are not covered and can't afford insurance and to create needed consumer protections for those who are covered so that they can not be denied future coverage. And throw in some measures to bring down costs like tort reform, allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines and and allow those not coverd by work to deduct treat their insurance premiums as a tax deduction, just like those who are coved by employer based insurance.
It could be simple, but Obama and the Democrats want to take over health care and dictate coverage to us and business and the insurance companies. So intead of getting a straight forward fix, we get a disaster.
Healthcare is a right and not a privelege.
The greatest country on Earth should provide its citizens with free high quality healthcare.
We are the only industrialized nation that does not have national healthcare.
The current 'healthcare system' is breaking and killing people.
The only people fighting againt this are republicans and people who believe the lies from Big pharma and the healthinsurance lobby. They only want to protect their profit margins. they don't care about people.
Even Jesus healed the sick. Does anybody want to be more like Jesus? I DO!
Obama and the Dems won with healthcare on the agenda.
We have medicare for the elderly, why not for everybody else?
If the reason you are against this is because you are afraid, you are being irrational and ignorant. Either that or you are a hypocrit
And if the Democrats in the Senate cannot find the votes they need to move to reconciliation as soon as humanly possible. If Health Care blows up so will the public's confience that Democrats can be in leadership positions. LEAD, for god's sake, be the minority party again. Stop looking at polls. Stop watching Fox Snooze. Do the job you were elected to do and get us health care.
Then focus all of 2010 on jobs and eveyone will get elected again. Promise.
And if the Democrats in the Senate cannot find the votes they need to move to reconciliation as soon as humanly possible. If Health Care blows up so will the public's confience that Democrats can be in leadership positions. LEAD, for god's sake, or be the minority party again. Stop looking at polls. Stop watching Fox Snooze. Do the job you were elected to do and get us health care.
Then focus all of 2010 on jobs and eveyone will get elected again. Promise.
The Republicans are going to try to block everything Obama tries to accomplish, so what's new. America needs Healthcare reform.
Reduce the deficit by adding a health care bill.You must be kidding?We need to stop the Tax,spend and borrowing,before we add any more costly bills,which we do not have the money to pay for.Never has a government run program came in at or below cost figures,so you can bet this health care will be 2 trillion before its done...Why is the Senate bill over 2000 pages? I had hopes it would be about half of the house bill.At 2000 pages you can bet it has too much,government control and too many Taxes.
Only time will tell!
Indeed!!
Just Get It Done.
"Republicans have vowed to try to block the bill..."
You see – there they go again – they 'constantly' try to STOP the bill they have NO INTENTIONS of participating in if it were 100% RIGHT!!
A billionaire could come and say they will donate money towards the bill and the REPUBLICAN'Ts will still find something to say! Every thing they ask for could be in the bill and the Party of NO will still say NO!!!
NO Sense, NO suggestions, NO Brains!!! The Party of NO, NO, NO!
MOVE ON and leave them behind………. Pass this bill this year or BUST!!
This bill just keeps getting bigger and bigger. These people are out of their minds. With the interest on our debt alone at 4.5 trillion, these imbiciles want to sink us further in debt. I wonder who got to the CBO to get them to lie for the Democrats. That's gotta be why the way left wingnuts do not want the people to see the bill before they vote on it.
2000+ pages of crap.
If you can't make a common sense bill that is easer to read and understand, then don't bother.
REID, You better vote for more unemployment coverage since that is where you will be in 2010. Can't wait.
Senators...keep is simple, stupids! Make the cost more consumer friendly and you guys have to be in the same plan. No mess, no fuss...all one big happy plan. Just let your local insurance companies administer it on lower overhead and no big buck CEOs and other execs.
The Republicans should face another election just like the last one so that they fall in line with a job that we asked them to do.
If they were on any "normal" payroll they would be fired!
I didn't see them reform healthcare when they had a Republican President and I see dereliction of duty now.
The US Senate has not missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity since 1860 (except when Lyndon Johnson was there to bust noses). I have no doubt that they will continue their ancient tradition of not rising to the challenge. We can thank the southern states (including my own dear state of Texas) for this. They continue to elect not-too-bright elderly white men who are in the pockets of corporate interests. Their gullible constituents continue to vote contrary to their own interests because they believe the Conservative rhetoric.
I must also mention that plenty of Democrat Senators are much more interested in their own careers than in the future of our republic.
2,074 pages???? And it's less expensive than the House version????? I can hardly wait to see the combined version, assuming the Senate can approve it's own bill.
The bill will not get out of the Senate. The bill has many faults. It is not deficit neutral, it covers abortion, etc. When are we going to get someone to tell us the truth?
Obstructionists = Republians
I'm glad I'm no longer a registered republican.
Reid is such a dolt. I wonder if he is the dumbest Senate majority leader in history, and then you look at Barbara Boxer, no wonder this congress is so bad.
GO FO IT, Do not let it go, you are all going to make history and American people will always remember you for this , also prove that you can not bought by the Insurance Co. I think moderate GOP should joine and be part of this history making. put the country first than the party , otherwise keep in mind you all are going to be kicked out in the next election. Good Luck you all Democrates......................
I don't know what anybody else is doing, but if my senators vote for any of this healthcare reform crap, I will be voting against them in the next election! AMERICAL DOES NOT WANT NOR CAN IT AFFORD THIS BILL!!
Drop the Government option and the bill will pass or like libs usually do cut of your noses to spite your faces!
"while reducing the federal deficit." How is this even printed with out a fact check?
Anyone betting on a filibuster against opening debate? What are you so afraid of GOPers? It's just debate, not voting on whether to pass it...got nothing constructive to add to the discussion or afraid that your nonsense fabrications about health care reform will finally be exposed for what they are? Afraid to stand up for what you profess to believe in and want to take the underhanded way out? It's because you know that true, honest, fact-based debate and argument on this issue is your position's "death panel." Pull the plug on your silly partisan ideological games, grow a pair, man up and engage in real debate using evidence...not fabrications like "death panels" or chicanery like holding up your staff person's baby on the floor of Congress and saying the little guy doesn't want health care reform because it will take away his mommy's insurance. At elast Grayson cited FACTS to support his accusation that your plan is "die quick"...all you people have is "this is how we believe the world is supposed to work." Guess what? It doesn't!
Please pass this reform we need it so bad.
Harry why dont you have every single person read the bill before they vote and they must sign saying they read every last word!! what a joke the Democrats have become. Put thru something, who cares what it looks like.
Harry I hope you are on your way out and please take your girlfriend Pelosi with you!
The Healthcare bill HAS to pass if we're gonna call ourselves a 1st world country. It's embarrassing how every other nation has a better system than we do and NONE of them have ever opted to model their healthcare like ours for a reason!
However, the ONLY clause in this bill that's lame is incurring a fine on people who don't purchase health insurance starting at 95.00 to 750.00 by 2016... – Forcing people to make a purchase of any kind is un-American. In NH, the live free or die state – you have the OPTION of wearing a helmet on a motorcycle... if you don't and you squish your brains out, it's your fault and problem... simple common sense.
The same should apply to the public option.
The pros do outweigh the cons on this bill however.
They dang well better not pass this bill unless medicare is updated to the standards of the Congressmen's health plan.