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Hillarysworld -> Health Care Issues -> "Pelosi: Democrats 'close' on health care" (Washington Times 1/7/10)
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TOPIC: "Pelosi: Democrats 'close' on health care" (Washington Times 1/7/10)
Sanders


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"Pelosi: Democrats 'close' on health care" (Washington Times 1/7/10)
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"

Pelosi: Democrats 'close' on health care

By Kara Rowland

With the backroom dealing under way to finish the health care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said Democrats are "very close" to merging the House and Senate versions by overcoming key differences on issues such as abortion and the creation of a public insurance option.

Mrs. Pelosi and key House committee chairmen met for nearly two hours with President Obama at the White House, where the speaker later downplayed sticking points between the two chambers.

"The truth is that there's so much agreement in the bill but sometimes we approach the issues differently," the California Democrat told reporters. "So we have to figure out what the best approach is to the issues."

Unlike the Senate version, the House bill includes a government-run insurance plan. It also has tougher language preventing federal dollars from funding abortion procedures. The two bills also differ significantly on how to finance the massive overhaul effort.

Mr. Obama has refrained from backing one bill over the other, but has held numerous meetings with congressional Democrats to keep the legislative process moving on his top domestic initiative.

Officials did not give a timeline for final passage.

"We will bring the bill to the floor when we are ready. And hopefully that will be soon," Mrs. Pelosi said.

Both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Pelosi have drawn fire for negotiating the bill's endgame in secret, despite promises to be transparent. In Mr. Obama's case, he vowed on more than one occasion to air deliberations over health care on C-SPAN for the public to view.

The White House has refused to comment on that broken pledge, the controversy over which was reignited this week after the public affairs network sent a letter requesting authority to broadcast the negotiations.

"The president wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible," press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday.

More . . .

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Massachusetts election is on January 19th. Coakley vs. Brown is going to decide whether Senate will have filibuster majority.  Who knows Reid may try to squeeze this through before 1/19.

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freespirit


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"The president wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible," press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday

And herein lies part of the problem.  What's the rush?  We've lived without a health care plan since the country was founded.  Why is it more important to get the bill fast than to get it right?  Even if the Dems have no intention of accepting any input from the Repubs, which is a mistake, they would, at least, begin to stem some of the criticism about the lack of bi-partisanship if they, actually allowed the Repubs the opportunity to read the bill and respond.   The Republicans are outraged, and rightly so.  The public's trust in the legislation and the Dem legislators has been diminished because of the secrecy surrounding this bill.  Even some in the media are expressing concern about the lack of transparency.  What are the Dems trying to hide?  Are they really willing, as Pelosi says, to lose seats to Repubs come election time, if voters, angry about healthcare reform, and the shady manner in which it was passed (if it does) vote Dems out of office?  Of course, being from the apparent nut-job capital of the country, she does not have to worry about her own seat.


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