Senators Draw Lines Around A Handful Of Swing Voters

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 28 Oct 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Maine Republicans, have been in the spotlight this year because of their ability to cross party lines with political impunity, Politico reports. Collins took the lead in negotiating a stimulus bill in February that drew three GOP votes, including Snowe's. Snowe is now at the center of the health reform debate. It's "a pattern that could be carved in stone during the next four years," as hopes for bipartisanship give way to the political realities most lawmakers face (Cummings, 10/27).

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reports Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the leading Republican on the Finance Committee, is turning his sights - which have previously targeted collusion between doctors and drug and device makers - to health IT vendors. Grassley asked several major companies to disclose complaints from providers as well as information about legal settlements and contracts that may shift blame for computer errors to health workers (Goldstein, 10/26).

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, meanwhile focused his attention on a more conventional target: The proposed government-run health insurer, known as the public option, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. "Simply putting new window dressing on the failed idea of a government plan is absolutely the wrong way to address a critical national issue that affects every American life and every American business," he said (Canham, 10/26).

By contrast, the Chicago Sun Times reports, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., noted, "For weeks, Majority Leader Harry Reid has worked to forge an important consensus within our Caucus and with the White House in support of a public health insurance option. Because of his efforts, today we are within reach of an historic achievement -- providing access to health care for every American family" (Sweet, 10/26).

Illinois' other senator, Democrat Roland Burris, who was appointed to the seat by impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, could also become a wildcard vote on the public option, Politico reports separately. He "has staked out a position on the public option that puts him at odds with Democratic leaders and the vast majority of the Democratic Caucus - and that could give the all-but-ignored junior senator from Illinois the sort of swing-vote status usually reserved for Snowe and other Republican moderates." One Burris associate said the senator believes Sen. Reid's plan for a limited public option doesn't go far enough (Raju, 10/27).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

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