"The U.S. Senate backed a plan on Thursday to make it easier for women to get preventive health services such as mammograms as it cast its first votes on a sweeping healthcare overhaul."
Amendments are being introduced and passed in the Senate with the health care bill that are helping woman in the US. The vote for this amendment passed with a close 61-39 with 2 Democrats voting against the amendment, but 3 Republicans voting for the amendment. Personally I believe this is a major improvement for health care across the nation, and I'm just hoping that the other parts of the health care bill that could help people like me will also pass.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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The first thing I'd like to point out is that a 61-39 vote is in no way close. For a Senate vote, 61-39 is a landslide.
This is also one of many amendments to be proposed about the health care bill. However, it was the first to be voted on.
About this amendment specifically: It protects preventive care - there is nothing in the original bill to take away preventive care - to make it clear that such things will be protected. Making clear statements like this is needed, as the Republicans, who are as a whole against the health care bill, are in the habit of making completely false claims about what it will do.
It's a smart move on the part of Senate Democrats to close one option to Republicans who are looking for ways to attack the bill.
Another amendment that has been passed since is one continuing all Medicare benefits that are currently guaranteed under law. I find this one particularly interesting as it passed unanimously.
What I find more interesting was the proposal for which this amendment was a reaction. This was a proposal made by Senator John McCain to take out anything in the bill that would save money.
This is clearly against normal Republican beliefs, and thus my conclusion is related to something we talked about in AP Gov class today. This seems a great ploy on the Republican side to get things into the bill that will make more people, even Democrats, vote against it. If the is no limit to the spending that the health care bill would entail, there is one more reason for even Democratic supporters of it to vote against it.
I definitely think the Democrats responded well to this, rejecting the ridiculous proposal made by McCain, and putting through their own that everybody likes.
-Ilan Seid-Green
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