Health Care Reform Repeal Vote UPDATE: Vote Fails 47-51

Above the post update:

The vote on the McConnell amendment (which was technically a vote to waive a budget point of order and required 60 votes to pass, see below) fails . All 47-51. Republicans voted for repeal, straight party line vote for Democrats as well.

No word yet on if this will be an ongoing effort by Republicans or a one off. Part of it will come down to whether or not Harry Reid continues to allow an open amendment process or not.

Original Post:
They are voting now on one of two 1099 repeal proposals, then they are on to Mitch McConnell's complete repeal amendment.

I suggested yesterday that the amendment would be ruled not germane to the underlying FAA re-authorization bill. I've subsequently been told by someone who works in the Senate that there is no requirement amendments be germane prior to a cloture vote.

What the Democrats will do is raise a budgetary point of order against it saying repeal will increase the deficit. In order to waive the point of order, repeal supporters will have to muster 60 votes. That's not going to happen but the point will be made.

Meanwhile, John McCain calls bull on the CBO process that claims repealing ObamaCare would increase the deficit.

"So what I'm saying is, garbage in, garbage out," McCain said on the Senate floor.

McCain cited two examples of how the CBO's estimate is not properly taking into account the true costs of the healthcare law. First, he noted that the repeated increases in reimbursement levels to Medicare physicians, and the failure to repeatedly let cuts to those payments happen, are estimated to cost $208 billion over 10 years. "Nowhere is that put into the equation," McCain said.

He also criticized the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, a long-term care insurance program that was part of the law. While the program allows for employees to contribute to it, many Republicans believe it will have to be funded by the government at some point, and that this assumption is not being taken into account by CBO.

Will any Democrats flip and vote for repeal? Ben Nelson of "Cornhusker Kickback" and double digit deficit in his reelection bid fame was a candidate to flip but he saysreform not repeal.

Update:

First 1099 repeal effort, the Levin Amendment, failed.

Second 1099 repeal amendment passes 81-17. Funny but a lot of those 81 votes came from Democratic Senators who voted to include it last year. Guess you have to pass the damn thing to find out what you need to repeal less than a year later.

Now voting on the budget point of order against the McConnell full repeal amendment.

posted by DrewM. at 05:41 PM

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