Did I hear Lawrence O'Donnell right? Reid dumped the anti-trust changes from the healthcare bill?

[GreenPartyVoter]

Please say it ain't so!

[Captain Hilts]

1. I HOPE NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigtree]

25. Patrick Leahy has an anti-trust bill that will likely be offered as an amendment

The bill has 18 co-sponsors . . . The fact that it's being offered as an amendment is usually an acknowledgment of it's lack of support among our bunch there as it is a measure of Reid's spine.


S. 1681:
Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009

Sponsor: Sen. Patrick Leahy

9/17/2009--Introduced.
S 1681 IS

To ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 17, 2009

Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. FEINGOLD, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. SCHUMER, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009’.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

It is the purpose of this Act to ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF ANTI-COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, nothing in the Act of March 9, 1945 (15 U.S.C. 1011 et seq., commonly known as the ‘McCarran-Ferguson Act’), shall be construed to permit health insurance issuers (as defined in section 2791 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91) or issuers of medical malpractice insurance to engage in any form of price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations in connection with the conduct of the business of providing health insurance coverage (as defined in such section) or coverage for medical malpractice claims or actions.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION TO ACTIVITIES OF STATE COMMISSIONS OF INSURANCE AND OTHER STATE INSURANCE REGULATORY BODIES.

Nothing in this Act shall apply to the information gathering and rate setting activities of any State commission of insurance, or any other State regulatory entity with authority to set insurance rates

[GreenPartyVoter]

27. Thanks. Glad to know there are still a few on the Hill who get it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. It's so. Cut a deal with Ben Nelson.

:puke:

[Captain Hilts]

3. FUCK!!!!

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Yeah, I just rewound the DVR and it's clearly what O'Donnell said. I am so friggin mad right now.

Can they add it back in later on???

[Barack_America]

7. Are.you.fucking.kidding.me.

He is bribing these assholes for their votes?

Whatever happened to stripping the chairmanships of Dems who would side with the GOP?

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. So let me see. We aren't changing the anti-trust stuff, but we are still

delivering millions of new customers to the insurance industry. Who does this bill help again??

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Yes. Exactly. He is bribing these assholes for their votes.

Capitalist tool Ben Nelson protects his insurance industry masters from the antitrust laws; in exchange, capitalist tool Ben Nelson promises limp dick Harry Reid that he will vote for cloture. Not even for the bill. Just vote to allow debate.

With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans?

:puke:

[ooglymoogly]

24. What can you expect....thanx to O they cynically gave away the store

before they even began bargaining and they have no bargaining position left except to giveaway whatever is left of this idiotic bill; Things that they put in only so they could grandstand for a while, that the corps do not like, which I can only assume was the plan from the beginning of this grand kabuki. Hey what can I say except I told you so. There are a couple more acts to make this a total giveaway to the corps if it already is not. Nelson is one of the creepiest monsters I have ever witnessed, surpassed by maybe Charles Manson or the pugs. And guess what the Director of this kabuki theater is O.

[Barack_America]

35. No Dem should have to be bribed to support Democratic principles.

This is infuriating.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Yes it is. I hope it can be added back into the bill later.

[MadMaddie]

5. Yep! You heard it right!

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I'm so mad, I'm almost crying.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Me too!

[MadMaddie]

12. When the Repugs were in control they did not compromise on

anything. Why the hell is Harry Reid compromising, he is letting those 3 Dems dictate to him the terms when it should be the other way around.

[Captain Hilts]

13. Exactly. We compromised before negotiations even began.

[jillan]

20. Because he is a wimp. I wish Harry would start hanging out with Grayson.

he needs to learn how to stand up and be a force to be reckoned with.

Who chose Harry anyway?

[Stinky The Clown]

10. How sweet it is.

Hey little people who dare to hope:

Fuck you very much. We OWN you.

[HughMoran]

14. Wendell Potter, the ex-Cigna exec. turned reform supporter seemed to think it wasn't a big deal

I forget his reasoning, but he seemed to shrug it off :shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. I think he said something about the insurance exchanges helping keeping prices down? Not sure. I can

rewind again if I need to.

[rockymountaindem]

15. It could be restored in the conference committee

I don't think anything matters at this phase because it still isn't final.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. But if you have to cut something to even get it onto the floor for debate, then what are the odds

that restoring it will get it passed?

[elleng]

22. Get it onto the FLOOR?, or before the damned COMMITTEE????

[rockymountaindem]

23. Forcing people to accept some provisions they don't like or shoot down the whole bill

might present them with an unpalatable choice and force their hand. For the moment they can pick and choose. When it comes back from the conference they will have to sink or swim together, and that might make certain things a little more acceptable to certain people than they are at this phase.

[babylonsister]

28. There's lots of negotiating going on, because this won't be the final

bill. I don't know about the odds.

[Libertas1776]

18. It's official,

The Democratic Party has become a covert arm of the Republican Party. Secret Agent Reid has performed his duties well. This is truly a one party state. :eyes:

[BrklynLiberal]

19. He was a time-delay mole for the repukes....

[stray cat]

21. A bribe to Ben Nelson and a 100 million dollar bride to Landreau

[optimator]

26. they get a monopoly either way

so it really doesn't matter.

[Nikki Stone1]

29. You heard right

For Ben Nelson

[Cleita]

30. Yep, but I think I heard Bernie Sanders that they will try to get it back in

once the final bills are merged in conference.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. That's heartening. Thanks. :^)

[rhett o rick]

32. Yeah, so what did anyone expect from the Senate? It's the Senate. They represent the rich. nt

[DU GrovelBot]

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[liberal_at_heart]

34. yet another gift to the insurance companies.

How many years until this so called bill is enacted? How many years will Congress allow insurance companies to raise premiums and reduce or deny claims just like Congress is allowing the credit card companies to raise interest rates. I swear I don't think there is a single member of Congress who hasn't been bought off by the corporations. If elections were being held tomorrow I would not vote for a single democrat. I would vote independent all the way down the line.

[liberal_at_heart]

36. I think the anti-trust laws could be the most important aspect of bill

A couple of decades ago the tobacco industry had too much money and too much power. It took several multi-billion dollar class action lawsuits to bring the industry down a notch. The same thing needs to happen to the insurance companies.

[TicketyBoo]

37. I don't think this is going to stand.

This was to get Nelson's vote on cloture. Once they get it to the floor, they'll put it right back in, and Reid will go for reconciliation so he won't need Nelson's vote.

Anyway, that's my guess.

As for the $100,000,000 for Medicaid for Louisiana (and maybe some of the other Gulf Coast states), that's probably needed, anyway (and long past due). And, who knows? It could come out of the final bill, too, if they go the reconciliation route and only need 51 votes.

I think we're gonna get something, and I hope it will be better than these maneuvers would indicate.

[saracat]

38. He did. the WH wants those votes no matter what.

[rudy23]

40. Who thought that was really going to last?

Not me.