12-14-09 Lieberman and Nelson come out against Medicare expansion
Last week, Fifth Freedom reported a new proposal in the Senate to expand Medicare to seniors age 55 to 64. Senators Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson have both come out against the proposal.
On the CBS program “Face the Nation”, Lieberman said that the expansion would “add taxpayer costs. It will add to the deficit. It’s unnecessary,” On the same program, Nelson also criticized the proposal, saying that he was concerned thatit would lead to a single-payer health care system. Lieberman has said that he would vote against the Senate health care bill if it included the Medicare expansion, but Nelson is apparently waiting for an estimated price tag from the Congressional Budget Office before he makes his final decision.
If Lieberman and Nelson do vote against the bill, this would leave it without the 60 votes needed to make it “filibuster-proof”.
Sources & More Information:
Wall Street Journal – Two Senators Doubt Medicare Compromise
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126075698805190017.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
NY Times – Lieberman Rules Out Voting for Health Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/health/policy/14health.html?_r=1&ref=politics
CBS News – Is “Tremendous Momentum” Building on Health Care?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5974599n&tag=related;photovideo
