The Power of A

For only the fifteenth time since 1861, the Senate was in session on a Sunday.  And while over the weekend the number of amendments considered was few, Senate leadership was optimistic that they were close to securing the compromises needed to gain 60 votes and passage.

Over the past few days the Senate has debated and voted on a few amendments, including the major ones below:

• The Mikulski amendment (#2791) removing a co-payment requirement for mammograms and preventative women’s health screenings. Passed 61-39
• The Vitter amendment (#2808) to prevent the USPSTF recommendation on mammograms from taking effect. Passed by unanimous consent.
• The Lincoln amendment (#2905) that would limit the executive compensation of insurance company executives. Amendment was withdrawn after not receiving 60 votes.

The two major amendments/issues remaining deal with abortion and the public option.  Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) will offer an amendment today or tomorrow that would incorporate the House’s abortion language in the Senate bill.  On the public option, Senator Reid (D-NV) has convened a working group of ten Democratic Senators to compose a compromise on the issue.  The latest compromise that seems to be gaining support is the creation of a national health insurance plan administered by the Office of Personnel Management that would be a list of private insurance offerings.  The plan’s appeal is that it would be similar to the current federal government employee health care system.

While the timeline is still uncertain, if compromises can be reached quickly on the outstanding issues the bill could receive a vote before December 25.  However, the key is whether the compromises can be reached and if the Democratic leadership can corral 60 votes for the bill.

Quick Hits

The President visited Capitol Hill yesterday to rally Democratic Senators for the health care bill…  Kaiser Health analyzes the major issues that are slowing passage of the health care bill… The IRS is reporting a marked increase in the number of nonprofit organizations nationwide in the past decade… ASAE has created a document outlining the major similarities and differences between the House and Senate health care bills.