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| Congressmen say they need that before deciding how to vote |
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
By GINNY WRAY - Bulletin Staff Writer
Two area’s congressmen said Tuesday they do not yet know how they will vote on health care reform legislation.
Fifth District U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello said he is satisfied that the Senate health care reform bill does not provide federal funds for abortions, with certain exceptions. However, he has other concerns with the bill that are stopping him from saying how he will vote at this point.
“I have plenty of serious problems with the Senate bill and, until I see the final language, I cannot take a position on final passage. But the existing language on abortion in the current Senate bill meets the pledge I made to ensure no federal funding for abortion in this health care bill,” Perriello, D-Albemarle County, said in a release.
The Senate bill upholds the Hyde Amendment standard, the congressman said.
His press secretary, Jessica Barba, said that amendment bars federal funds through Medicaid for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or where the mother’s life is in danger. It has been in place for a few decades and is reauthorized every year, she added.
The House is heading to a vote on the amended Senate health care reform bill, called the reconciliation bill, possibly by this weekend.
Perriello has said the Senate bill needed to be changed to lower health care premiums, lessen its impact on the federal deficit and include negotiations on drug rates by Medicare.
Ninth District U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, said he cannot say how he will vote on the bill until he gets a final copy and can review it.
He said his key question in weighing the bill will be: “At the end of the day, will the measure as a whole assist health care delivery or harm it” in his district? He added that he will “make a decision consistent with my district,” not political party or philosophy.
Boucher added he is concerned there will be cuts in Medicare funding in the bill that could lead to increased private insurance premiums.
He also dislikes the deal-making that gave breaks to some states.
“I find the Senate bill highly objectionable,” especially the “unsavory deal-making” resulting in special breaks for some states, he said, calling it “an abridgment of proper procedure ... beyond the bounds of propriety, in my opinion.”
Also Tuesday, Democratic leaders said they are considering using a legislative procedure that would allow them to pass fixes to the Senate health care reform bill without taking a direct vote on the underlying legislation.
The Associated Press reports that the maneuver is a kind of legislative fig leaf to spare House Democrats from directly voting to approve a Senate bill many of them had bitterly criticized. While Republicans also used the tactic when they controlled the House, they are indignant that Democrats would employ it on legislation of such significance.
The procedure was used in Congress 36 times in 2005 and 2006 when the Republicans were in charge, and 49 times in 2007 and 2008 after Democrats had taken control of Congress.
Perriello said he would support the maneuver to stop “backroom deals” that gave special deals to states such as Nebraska, Florida and Louisiana.
“We cannot let the backroom deals that were cut on the Senate side, like the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase, stand in the final health care bill. This is one way to ensure the Senate doesn’t get away with any more tricks. The Senate has already dithered on 290 bills passed by the House, and we refuse to let them drop the ball on a bill of this magnitude,” Perriello stated.
Boucher said he does not like the procedure, but it would not sway his vote.
“I don’t like the process. ... The procedure does offend me, but I will make a decision based on the substance of the legislation,” he said.
Boucher said he does not know when legislators will get a final version of the bill or when they might vote on it. Barba said the House Rules Committee must report out the bill. After that, the bill will be posted online for 72 hours, she said.
Barba said she hopes people will focus more on the contents of the health care reform bill than the process.
“Most Americans, all they hear about is the infighting in Washington. They lack an understanding of what the bill does,” she said.
The goal is to contain health care costs for families and small businesses without increasing the deficit, she said.
Barba repeated the story Perriello often tells about his brother, who is a high school teacher and coach with four children. “His health insurance premium is larger than his mortgage payment,” she said.
“If it (reform) is done right, it will be meaningful reform. We will see costs go down and quality increase, especially for rural hospitals,” she added.
Perriello voted for the House bill, H.R. 3962, on Nov. 7, 2009, and Boucher voted against it. |
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