A summary of the senators’ views, prepared by the Finance Committee, says Mr. Enzi believes that the federal government should pay “100 percent of the cost of the Medicaid expansion, in order to avoid an unfunded mandate” for states, which ordinarily share Medicaid costs with the federal government.They want more. And when Baucus caves and gives it to them, they will want even more. The plan here of course is to get Baucus to cave so much that the plan becomes a disaster for the Democrats, either not passing at all or worse, passing as the disastrous Republican health care plan that mandates Americans buy private health insurance or pay thousands in penalties.Mr. Enzi and Mr. Grassley have also objected to the fees that Mr. Baucus wants to impose on health insurance companies, clinical laboratories and manufacturers of medical devices. Such fees would help finance coverage of the uninsured.
Mr. Enzi and Mr. Grassley also told Mr. Baucus that health legislation must include language affirmatively prohibiting the use of federal money to pay for abortion. The restriction, they said, should apply to any subsidies that help low-income people buy insurance. In addition, they said, health plans should not be obliged to provide abortion. Thus, they said, the bill should “include a conscience clause to protect entities from being required to contract with abortion providers.”
By contrast, a Democrat participating in the negotiations, Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, told colleagues that the legislation should “remain silent” on abortion, according to the committee documents.
Mr. Baucus and other senators agree that illegal immigrants should not benefit from the health care overhaul in any way. Mr. Enzi and Mr. Grassley want a five-year waiting period for legal immigrants to receive tax credits, or subsidies, to help them buy insurance.
Anything Max Baucus comes up with won't meet with Republican approval, so why is he caving in the first place?
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