All 543 Amendments to the infamous 'Max Baucus' health care reform bill were put online earlier today. If you are so inclined, you can read it all
here. If not, the wonderful folks from Think Progress'
Wonk Room tweeted them earlier today. I decided to organize them a bit. I present to you the best, the bad, the stupid & the strange of the Baucus Amendments, thus far.
It is important to note who exactly is working for
REAL health care reform and who isn't. The names listed here are just as important as the names of senators that are nowhere to be seen on this issue. What you can see here is who the real obstructionists are. And -- special Props to Senator Grassley who doesn't seen to have a clue about his own government provided health insurance.
Best: Eliminate all overpayments to Medicare Advantage private plans. Rockefeller 9
Establishment and administration of a public health insurance option. Rockefeller 187
Increase the actuarial value of benefits for plans offered in the exchange. Rockefeller 190
Allow early retirees between ages 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare. Rockefeller 206
Replace the Free Rider provision with an employer mandate. Kerry 226
Tax equity for Domestic Partners. Schumer, Kerry, Cantwell, Menendez
Narrow the age rating band. Kerry 240
To increase low-income subsidies to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level and lower cost-sharing. Wyden 249
Give states the option of including family planning as part of their Medicaid programs. Stabenow, 275
Providing a reduction in the out-of-pocket maximum for those between 300%-400% of poverty. Menendez 312
Exempt workers in high-risk professions from the excise tax on high cost insurance capping itemized deductions at 35%.
Expedite insurance market reforms in small group market. Snowe 362
Bad Restoration of funding for abstinence education. Hatch 351
Strike Medicaid Expansion. Hatch 352
Eliminate all industry fees tie tax credit 2 lowest cost bronze plan (tax credit eliminated for gold/silver). Kyl 522
Stupid:Limiting the Number of New Federal Health Care Bureaucrats & Preventing the Rationing of Seniors’ Care. Kyl 126
Prohibiting a Federal Rationing Board. Kyl 130
To prevent Medicare policies which discourage doctors from fulfilling Hippocratic Oath. Roberts 137
To prevent reform from being paid 4 on backs of our most vulnerable & frail seniors in nursing homes. Roberts 143
To ensure that if people like the hometown hospital they have, they can keep it. Roberts 144
To prevent health care reform from being paid for on the backs of our seniors. Roberts 145
An amendment to prohibit funding under this bill for ACORN. Ensign 155
To ensure that the financial well-being of future generations not compromised by current generation. Ensign 156
Require that elected officials and all federal employees purchase coverage through exchanges. Grassley, 328
Automatic enrollment of Members of Congress voting for government-funded Health Care Cooperative. Hatch 349
Prohibit the federal government's takeover of health care. Kyl 371
Congressional enrollment in Medicaid. Enzi 421
Prohibits federal funds under the Mark from being distributed to or used by ACORN. Hatch 511
Strike the word "fee" everywhere it appears in the bill and replace with the word "tax". Ensign, 543
Weird:Ensuring People in Hospice Do not Have to Give Up the Prospect of a Cure. Wyden 44
Ironic:Protecting competition and fighting monopoly in health care. Cornyn 460
Real Bipartisan: To help solve our nation's physician workforce shortage. Stabenow, Snowe