Reply #4: Obama himself was responsible ... [View All]

[bvar22]

...for pulling the Kucinich Amendment from the House Bill.

"Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, introduced in the committee an amendment that would effectively allow states to improve on our healthcare system if they choose to, allow them to create state-level single-payer healthcare. There are bills to do this in several state legislatures already. Such a bill has passed and been vetoed in California twice, where a change in governor is imminent.

President Obama told the committee chairman, George Miller, to oppose Kucinich's amendment, and he did so, leading off the voting with a resounding "No." But the Democrats voted 14 to 14 with one member passing and two failing to vote. And the Republicans voted 13 to 5 with one member failing to vote."

The amendment to allow states to start their own Single Payer Systems survived the committee vote despite President Obama's request to kill it, and was in the version of the bill that was given to Pelosi.

Behind closed doors, the amendment disappeared at the request of "the administration".