Senator Reid released the Senate’s version of the healthcare reform bill on Wednesday. It is even bigger than the House version, at 2,074 pages. The CBO estimates that it will cost $849 million over 10 years.
The Reid bill does not protect patients or make medical care more affordable. According to Americans for Tax Reform’s Ryan Ellis, the bill actually makes medical care more expensive by raising various taxes. They inlcude:
Individual Mandate Tax (Page 324/Sec. 1501/$8 bil): Starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance must pay an income surtax.
Employer Mandate Tax (Page 348/Sec. 1513/$28 bil): If an employer does not offer health coverage, and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit, the employer must pay an additional non-deductible tax of $750 for all full-time employees. Applies to all employers with 50 or more employees
More tax implications can be found at ATR
Facts on the bill from Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Top-Line Facts:
Spending: The cost of the bill is $2.5 trillion over 10 years of full implementation (2014-2023).
Taxes Increases: Taxes will go up $493.6 billion—nearly half a trillion dollars.
Medicare Cuts: Medicare will be cut $464.6 billion—another half a trillion dollars.
Government Plan: The bill includes a government run plan and provides states with the possibility of opting out of participating in that plan. According to CBO, the government run plan “would typically have premiums that were somewhat higher than the average premiums for the private plans in the exchanges.”
Employer Mandate: The bill will impose $28 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide government approved health plans. These new taxes will ultimately be paid by American workers in the form of reduced wages and lost jobs.
Above from Michael Ostrolenk:
http://www.takebackmedicine.com/thehillshaveeyes/
Download a copy of the bill here:
http://www.aapsonline.org/senatebill.pdf .
A vote on the motion to proceed with the bill may take place on Saturday. The Senate needs 60 yes votes in order to pass the motion to proceed. Republican Senator Tom Coburn, a physician from Oklahoma, is calling for the entire bill to be read on the Senate floor. More details are available in this AP article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091118/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul .
Also, an initial analysis of the differences between the House and Senate healthcare bills can be found here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120068329
As of today these Senators are UNDECIDED on how to VOTE on SATURDAY. These Senators can make the difference in whether or not this bill passes. Please take the time to call, fax, and email them immediately. The vote is expected around 8pm Saturday evening. We can stop this with your help. They need to hear from all of us! Thanks for what you are doing!
THE MESSAGE SHOULD BE TO VOTE NO ON CLOTURE! TO VOTE NO ON GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE AND GOVERNMENT MANDATES!
THESE FOUR SENATORS SHOULD BE YOUR FOCUS:
Senator Bill Nelson (NE)
Chief of Staff: Tim Becker
Washington, DC (202) 224-6551 / (202) 228-0012 fax
Lincoln (402) 441-4600 / (402) 476-8753 fax
Omaha (402) 391-3411 / (402) 391-4725 fax
Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Chief of Staff: Elizabeth Burks ([email protected])
Washington, DC (202) 224-4843 / (202) 228-1371 fax
Little Rock (800) 352-9364 / (501) 375-7064 fax
Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)
Chief of Staff: Jane Campbell ([email protected])
Washington, DC (202) 224-5824 / (202) 224-9735 fax
New Orleans (504) 589-2427 / (504) 589-4023 fax
Baton Rouge (225) 389-0395 / (225) 389-0660 fax
Shreveport (318) 676-3085 / (318) 676-3100 fax
Lake Charles (337) 436-6650 / (337) 439-3762 fax
Senator Mark Warner (VA)
Chief of Staff: Luke Albee ([email protected])
Washington, DC (202) 224-2023 / (202) 224-6295 fax
Abingdon (276) 628-8158 / (276) 628-1036 fax
Norfolk (757) 441-3079 / (757) 441-6250 fax
Roanoke (540) 857-2676 / (540) 857-2800 fax
Midlothian (804) 739-0247 / (804) 739-3478 fax
