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The good, the bad & the stupid: The Baucus Amendments.
Author: Raine    Date: 09/19/2009 22:15:30

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

 

13 comments (Latest Comment: 09/21/2009 13:54:16 by Raine)
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