What’s in the Kennedy/Dodd Health Bill? They’re Not Going to Tell You.
On July 15, six weeks ago, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passed an amended $1 trillion health-care bill, with acting Chairman Chris Dodd calling it a "historic achievement." Too bad the committee won't reveal this history even to other Senators, much less to the public.
Three weeks ago Republicans on the committee wrote Mr. Dodd "to reiterate our request for a full copy of the bill as amended, in the four-week mark-up." Mr. Dodd has refused to comply. The Senate bill that is available on the committee Web site is 790 pages long. While that is some 300 pages shorter than the House health bill, that's in part because it doesn't include nearly 200 amendments that passed when the committee redrafted the bill. Amended sections of the bill might as well be written in invisible ink.
This is amazing. I thougth we were supposed to be living in a democracy.
Are you telling us that the Republicans on the committee can’t see a copy of what they voted on?
The insurance provisions (mandated coverage, where insurers must cover all that apply at rates not adjusted for risk) get most of the press coverage, but these proposed regulations do not require many pages to explain. This illustrates how the House tri-committee bill (1018 pages) and Senate HELP Committee bill (790 pages not including amendments) contain far-reaching regulations that amounts to a wholesale land grab.
Last night I learned from four Republican Representatives that the exact same thing is happening in the House.
[…] previously reported that no one actually knows what’s in the Kennedy/Dodd health reform bill. Turns out, no one knows […]