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Friday, September 10, 2010
Delegation likely to split down party lines on health-care
By John Richardson jrichardson@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Maine's congressional delegation appeared to be falling along party lines Friday as the debate about national health care reform headed toward its conclusion.
Supporters and opponents of the legislation were keeping the pressure on nonetheless.
Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat representing Maine's 2nd District, was still officially undecided on Friday, two days before the House of Representatives was scheduled to cast a historic vote on the reform bill that initially passed in the Senate in December. Michaud, however, supported an earlier House version of the reforms and is considered a likely "yes" vote this weekend.
"There were significant changes made to the bill, and I am continuing to assess the impacts on Maine businesses, providers and consumers," Michaud said in a written statement Friday. "This is one of the most significant issues that Congress will consider, and I want to give it the serious consideration that it deserves."
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat representing Maine's 1st District, has been a steadfast supporter of the reform, and was working to shore up Democratic support for the legislation on Friday, she said during a telephone interview.
"It doesn't have everything that I want in it," said Pingree, who favors a national public insurance option. "My colleagues in the House and I feel like we've negotiated the best bill we can get at this point."
Pingree said she will continue to push for a public option, but the legislation will expand insurance coverage and lower costs for Mainers.
Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins once were considered possible Republican supporters of a national health care reform bill, but now clearly oppose the pending legislation, as does every other Republican in Congress.
Snowe, part of a bipartisan group of six senators who negotiated reforms last year, criticized the process and the partisanship in a written statement Friday.
"Our work in the Group of Six produced a solid starting point for bipartisanship on this issue, yet, regrettably, the process and polarization of our parties has tragically plagued health care reform during this Congress," she wrote.
Collins said in a written statement that she and other Republicans are eager to support alternative reforms and criticized Democrats for cutting off debate.
"We lost an opportunity to work together to write a bipartisan bill that would expand access, rein in the cost of health care, and improve quality," she wrote. "It didn't have to be this way."
Maine groups that have been pushing for and against the legislation were not ready to give up Friday.
"We're just continuing to encourage our folks to contact both of our (House representatives), but in particular we're putting a lot of emphasis on Congressman Michaud," said Tarren Bragdon, chief executive officer of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, which opposes the legislation. "He's certainly in the 'leans yes' column, but we'll know in a few days."
The center sent more than 500 voice mail messages from Maine voters to Pingree and Michaud on Friday, he said. The group also is helping to organize a "Hands Off Health Care" rally, set for 8:30 a.m. today in front of DiMillo's Floating Restaurant on Commercial Street in Portland.
Maine Change That Works, which organized a large pro-reform rally Thursday in Portland, also was keeping the pressure on the entire delegation, including Michaud.
"We're going to continue trying to contact his office and let him know that the overwhelming majority of Maine people support health insurance reform," said Greg Howard, the group's communications director.
Michaud did take a stand against fellow Democrats on Thursday.
Pingree and 221 other House Democrats approved the use of a two-track process in which the House would accept the Senate-approved bill without an up-or-down vote, then vote on a separate bill that includes numerous amendments.
Michaud was one of 28 Democrats to oppose that process. He said Friday that he is frustrated about it and wants a standard up-or-down vote.
Michaud also said, however, that he will make a final yes-or-no decision "based solely on the substance."
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10 COMMENTS
williealso said...
Please Mr Michaud vote no. If you vote yes, you could be out of job come January 2011 and the military people need you there to support the military benifits that are due to them. For the other person, the people in southern maine throught she is the best thing since slice bread and can beer, but afer awhile the slice bread will molded and can beer loses it taste, Time to get rid of her
March 20, 2010 at 2:01 AM Report abuse
Babbs said...
I wonder how much the mandatory heath care will cost people who don't have insurance. Now you will be forced to buy it and if you don't, you will be visited by the IRS. Doesn't that sound like a winner. The Obama administration won't care if you are a Democrat, they will send the IRS to your house to. No more waking up a free person in this great land, you are now owned by that rock star Barack Obama and that lovely woman, Nansy Palosi.
March 20, 2010 at 6:26 AM Report abuse
Robinwhod said...
The insurance companies are against forcing everyone to buy health insurance..True or False The proposed legislation means doctors will cure patients rather than maintain them with drugs thereby reducing patient load. The drug companies will sell drugs that cure diseases rather than maintain it thereby reducing the amount of drugs taken by people. Healthcare providers will receive less money and the public's health insurance premiums will be reduced because there will be less illness. The government will receive less tax money from the healthcare industry. Healthcare costs will be less under the proposed legislation. True or False
March 20, 2010 at 9:04 AM Report abuse
DTOM said...
This legislation is NOT ABOUT HEALTH CARE. It's about control. PRESIDENT ADMITS THAT OBAMACARE IS “A TRANSITION STEP” TOWARD SINGLE-PAYER. If you still harbor doubts that Obamacare is a first step toward single-payer health care, this montage of Obama speeches will eliminate them. He explicitly states that he is following the same path that Canada took to its government-run system: Get a system in place, signed into law by the end of my first term as President and build off that system … Canada did not start off immediately as a single-payer system. They had a similar transition step. In his own words : http://www.healthcarebs.com/2010/03/17/president-admits-that-obamacare-is-a-transitional-step-toward-single-payer/
March 20, 2010 at 10:40 AM Report abuse
Routone said...
The fact that RepubliCONS and their ignorant "followers" are floating a completely FALSE e-mail with many FALSE claims about health care reform is more evidence the party is little more than a criminal enterprise. How could it ever have been anything but, sticking up for insurance companies driving this country into the ground. It's astonishing that some are so ignorant that they actually believe that not allowing companies to destroy America is socialism. Just goes to show that the flip side, allowing companies to destroy America as Republicans want, is a concept too complex for ignorant RepubliCONS to grasp. By the way worthless RepubliCONS, Bush and Cheney were proven to have ordered the Delta Force in Afghanistan to allow Bin Laden's escape into Pakistan. Why? Republicans: Ignorant. Clueless. Worthless
March 20, 2010 at 5:57 PM Report abuse
Routone said...
Thankfully, we have a brilliant President in Barack Obama who will have accomplished HISTORIC change to BENEFIT the American people, and even RepubliCONS will benefit, though they are too far down the rabbit hole of their own fantasies and fears to know or understand that fact. As for RepubliCONS "repealing" this health care legislation ... right, let them tell American mom's and dad's that their kids aren't going to be covered anymore; let them tell Americans with pre-existing conditions that they're going to be kicked off plans again; and let them tell American small business that we're back to an unsustainable system of 40% increases a year.
March 20, 2010 at 5:57 PM Report abuse
DTOM said...
A culture of dependency... just what the President (and people like Andy Stern want). Stern, Pres. of SEIU-"We now have a new metric, you know, the president says he wants to judge the new economy whether it increases the number of people in the middle class, whether we have shared prosperity not just whether we have growth which is a fundamental different philosophy than we have seen in our country up to date and clearly government has has a major opportunity to distribute wealth through the Earned Income Tax Credit, through tax policies, through minimum wages, through living wages. The government has a role in redistributing wealth or social benefits...Medicare, Medicaid, children’s health insurance." In other words and despite his many denials Stern wants essentially wants to transform America into a socialist state. The America Stern wants to live in isn’t necessarily wealthy — as long as we are all equally poor then that’s OK by him. http://www.newsrealblog.com/ March 5, 2010
March 20, 2010 at 7:40 PM Report abuse
DTOM said...
In February 2010, President Obama appointed Stern to sit on a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1830 In 2008 Stern supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy. His SEIU spent approximately $60.7 million to help elect Obama to the White House, deploying some 100,000 pro-Obama volunteers during the campaign (including 3,000 who worked on the election full time). Stern went on to become an immensely influential advisor to President Obama. As of October 30, 2009, Stern had visited the White House 22 timessince Obama's inauguration --more than any other individual. Redistribution of wealth.
March 20, 2010 at 7:42 PM Report abuse
wollydevil said...
Thats all they ever do in DC vote along party lines now wounder nothing gets done there. Both partys are a big waste there. It like a gang turf war in congress.
March 20, 2010 at 8:26 PM Report abuse
TheSaint said...
Here you go folks, right from Alec Vachon a real RepubliCAN mouth. Not from RepubliCONS like McConnell, Snowe, Collins, etc. If you're unwilling to believe someone from your very own party, you are farther gone and deluded than I ever believed possible. "To hold the president accountable for every single provision he advocates for is simply unreasonable," said Alec Vachon, a health policy consultant and former Republican Capitol Hill aide. "Some things aren't in there because the members of Congress who have the votes don't want it. Some things aren't in there because congressional rules which Republicans will be enforcing won't allow it. But Democrats will have three years to tinker with health reform before universal coverage goes live."
March 20, 2010 at 9:21 PM Report abuse