How Snowe Will Vote

The Senators need to stop playing games. Its not about whose side wins. The U.S. has a lower infant survival rate and lower life spans than any other technologically advanced country. Both relate to access to affordable, quality health care. Every nation that is doing better than us has a national health plan. We need a strong public option now.

Ryan | Oct 13, 2009 7:29:36 AM—— Well I guess you don’t know whats going on in her home state with Wellpointe Insurance do you? As for national vilification, really? The majority of Americans want HCR. That said, ABC she is one vote! There is enough drama about whats going to happen without manufacturing some.

“The Senate, both Dems & Reps, needs to remember that OUR taxes are paying for THEIR $503 annual healthcare premiums. That’s right. $503 per year. Total. Can you get insurance at that low cost?”
mapjo11 | Oct 13, 2009 8:34:01 AM
You mean the Senate gets insurance through their employer? Wow. No one in America gets that perk. (Although their low co-pays would make you think they were under a union contract or something.)

The yes or no will depend on how much pork barrel spending is in the health care reform bill.
I hope it’s purely about health care reform and lowering medical cost this time with no pork additives in it. Please!
We the people will see soon.
We need a public option in the bill is the bottom line or it want be reform.

lfrichar | Oct 13, 2009 8:40:09 AM- You need to finish that sentence with “the majority of Americans do not approve of THIS health care bill”. This bill does nothing to control actual health care costs, which directly affect our insurance premiums. ———– Please remember this is not the final bill. If approved all the bills will be merged. Hopefully taking the best of each to make a final bill.

It’s quite interesting.
Yesterday AHIP (paid for by the health insurance companies) suddenly saying they will raise rates faster if this passes. They claim the insurance companies will have to do this because not all Americans will be insured and penalties aren’t severe enough.
They were fighting the public option and said it wasn’t fair to require all Americans to be insured.
Ironically, I think Snowe will pass on voting, but when it hits the floor she will again pursue the trigger option. From what I understand of Snowe, she would rather do what’s just than worry about politics.

“It is very possible our nations drug use and poor health habits are a major contributer to both issues” – The fact that EVERY European country has a national health plan and EVERY one has a lower infant mortality rate and longer life spans than the U.S., which does not have a national health plan is a very strong correlation. As far as health habits, such as drug abuse making us less healthy – you must not have spent much time in Europe – they also have drug problems and the French smoke much more than we do. Stop blaming the victims for America’s poor health outcomes, its a systemic problem.

ROGULSKI: Did you get an application to fill out yet?
WOMAN: I sure did. And I filled it out, and I am waiting to see what the results are going to be.
ROGULSKI: Will you know today how much money you’re getting?
WOMAN: No, I won’t, but I’m waiting for a phone call.
ROGULSKI: Where’s the money coming from?
WOMAN: I believe it’s coming from the City of Detroit or the state.
ROGULSKI: Where did they get it from?
WOMAN: Some funds that was forgiven (sic) by Obama.
ROGULSKI: And where did Obama get the funds?
WOMAN: Obama getting the funds from… Ummm, I have no idea, to tell you the truth. He’s the president.
ROGULSKI: In downtown Detroit, Ken Rogulski, WJR News.

Does anyone else think it’s amazing that someone that looks like this has so much control over our lives?

“You need to finish that sentence with “the majority of Americans do not approve of THIS health care bill”. This bill does nothing to control actual health care costs, which directly affect our insurance premiums.”
lfrichar | Oct 13, 2009 8:40:09 AM
Do you have a poll on THIS health care bill, the Senate Finance Committee bill just released Oct 2 (with 2 pages of typo fixes and clarifications released Oct 5) – or are you lying?
If you are lying about the poll, I’d be inclined to assume you are lying about the rest too (particularly since the CBO disagrees).

Snowe says she favors limited government and fiscal responsibility.
Yet she voted for the stimulus bill and all the wasteful spending and, if she votes yes here, will be voting for the expansion of the federal government.
Not only that, if she votes yes on this bill, she will be voting to cut Medicare to seniors and to tax the middle class and sick(by making it harder for people to deduct medical expenses on their tax returns).
Snowe will lose the primary if she votes yes guaranteed. So I urge her to do what’s best for the country and vote no on this abomination of a bill!!!

Wow – who would have thought that a republican senator would have more power than the majority in the senate. There simply is no logic to that — and shame on democrats for allowing it to happen!

Ms. Snowe, you MUST VOTE NO on the Baucus Bill!!!
You have already made the mistake of voting for the stimulus bill and some of Obama’s other wasteful spending. Don’t compound the mistake by voting for this abomination of a bill.
This bill raises health care costs(as demonstrated by the report prepared by insurers yesterday).
This bill also cuts Medicare for seniors(you won’t win any votes for this aspect of the bill that’s for sure).
This bill raises taxes on the middle class and sick(by limiting what one can deduct in medical expenses on their tax return—the bill raises from 7.5% to 10% the limits on what you can deduct for medical expenses).
This bill doesn’t even take effect in terms of benefits until 2013 yet the taxes and Medicare cuts start right away(if the uninsured are such a problem why are we waiting until 2013 to do anything).
Not to mention the fact that the costs of this program are almost certainly underestimated.
Further, who the heck knows what a “co-op” is.
This bill screams for a NO Vote!!!

it’s great to see so many out of work republicans here screaching against America’s and their own interest to codify their hatred of our nation.
How do say “irony”?
America wants a public health care option and reform. let’s get it done and stop giving these naysayers a platform to continue their destruction of America and it’s core values.

If she votes NO she will become the poster child for partisanship by the DNC and the media. Every effort, from what I’ve seen, has been made to include the GOPs ideas in the Finance Cmmte. If she rebukes that effort she will be remembered for a long time, and for the wrong reasons.

There has been some talk around the internet lately about organizing a “NATIONAL DROP YOUR INSURANCE DAY”.
We would seriously consider participating as our premiums just went up 30% even though we are healthy and have never filed any claims. Since money talks in this country, if the insurance companies are hit in the pocketbook, and the government ends up paying for even more people in the emergency rooms, maybe they will get serious about providing reasonable, affordable health care for all U.S. citizens.

The Senate is completely corrupt. Max Baucus has former health insurance executive, Liz Fowler, as his Girl Friday on reform. It would make sick, but policitally induced nausea isn’t covered by my private insurance company. I don’t know what Snowe will do, but if she votes for a public health option, I know she can expect lies and vitriol at her townhall meetings.
Health care is just one aspect of the corruption. Wall street destroyed itself, yet no one has mentioned bringing back Glass-Steagall. It’s sickening. They will destroy the country for a buck and the irony that destroys the value of a buck.

“The U.S. has a lower infant survival rate and lower life spans than any other technologically advanced country. Both relate to access to affordable, quality health care.”
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | Oct 13, 2009 8:13:05 AM
Give me a break Mark form atlanta.
The US unlike other countries counts every infant death as any live birth, this includes BOTCHED Late Term Abortions. Other “more Enlightened” countries have different standards for conting infand deaths. Some don’d count deaths unless the baby lives for at least 24 hours. A little know fact that you won’t find in the Democrat talking Points.

jhw539 – “If you are lying about the poll, I’d be inclined to assume you are lying about the rest too (particularly since the CBO disagrees).”– Actually the CBO report did not address the rise in premiums, it addressed the cost of the bill which was 829 Billion. The report did state that the bill would earn 83 Billion over 10 years, but this is mainly due to the money pulled from senior medicare co-pay plans that the government underwrites.
As far as your other statement –” Does anyone else think it’s amazing that ANY women vote for Republican party anymore?” — No we don’t. Obviously you do. A larger percentage of Americans consider themselves conservative than liberal (about 45% in most polls compared to 35-37% liberal). And I must add that your phrasing of the response seems to indicate that WOMEN should be more put off by conservative values than men… Why would you say that? Are you (the party of Clinton) trying to say the conservatives are more sexist??? Surely you jest…

Seeing people parrot that “low infant mortality rate” over and over just shows that the individual trying to use that statistic is misinformed at the knowledge of how those numbers are figured. In the United States we count EVERY child. Premature, still birth, etc. Other countries do not. There is not a single other nation in the entire world that counts every birth like we do. So please, quit comparing unlike numbers to each other to make an invalid point.

No – 100%. That is, if she wants to keep her job. A pass won’t do anymore. That’s an Obama strategy and she would be ridiculed for it in ad after ad after ad.

The Dems are trying to paint it that if Snowe,the biggest RINO evah, votes for this then it is “bi-partisian”. How pathetic and grasping is that? Snowe has a track record of voting with the Dems so no news here. Her base in Maine is secure so she won’t have to worry about her re-election no matter how she votes. One RINO vote does not make this bi-partisian. Oh and to jhw539 I’m a woman and I’ve voted for Republicans since 2000 because I grew up and got educated. I suggest you do the same.

Ryan said:The U.S. has a lower infant survival rate and lower life spans than any other technologically advanced country.
Have you read the actual comparisons on this? Most other countries consider a baby to be stillborn/miscarriage if they die within the first 24 hours. The US counts a live birth as a live birth, even if they die soon afterwards. That’s where the discrepancy in the infant mortality rate comes from. US cancer survival rates are superior in most cases. Probably what’s negatively affecting our life expectancy is car accidents (we have a much larger country, so it’s harder to get by without cars), our poor food choices (and resulting obesity), and lack of exercise. What I’ve read seems to indicate that our health care is doing a good job DESPITE our attempts to die early.

I think Senator Snowe will pass on voting, but when it hits the floor she will again pursue the trigger option. And when she does, she will vote herself out of office.

“Probably what’s negatively affecting our life expectancy is car accidents (we have a much larger country, so it’s harder to get by without cars), our poor food choices (and resulting obesity), and lack of exercise.”
Muria | Oct 13, 2009 11:34:47 AM
There are European countries with worse rates of accident mortality (Italy by a longshot) and smoking is far more common outside of Europe. Keep looking into it – there are studies that have look at the facts and corrected for variables such as the ones you mention.

If she votes for the Bill, we begin calling friends and family in Maine to make sure they vote against her in November. There is a consequence to voting personal views at the expense and with indifference for the will of their constituents, and ALL Representatives that think they know better then the people who voted them into office will be sitting home knitting quilts come December. Elitist.
TB
NY Democrat

I’m truely amazed at Americans that have no understanding of insurance. Simple and CHEAP fixes have been proposed by many. Eliminate State restraints on selling insurance, create State “catastrophic illness funds” similar to bad drver “pools”, limit tort awards and clean up Medicare…and the costs will go dramatically.
This whole healthcare thing “throws the baby out with the bath-water” and is an unnecessary intrusion on our liberties. What ARE you people thinking about? Do you WANT to deal with 57 new agencies of beaureacrats? This bill and those Congress people are INSANE!…and we’d still end up with 2m uninsured and an extrat $3,000 cost to each of us per year!
Stop thinking Party Politics…and think about America and the next generation!

jhw539: If this bill is so important to contain future health costs, why doesn’t it take effect until 2013? Reminds me of the stimulus package that HAD TO BE PASSED IMMEDIATELY, so there was no time to put it on the internet for all of us to peruse – and then Zero went out of town for 4 days instead of signing it! Fool me once, shame on you….fool me twice, shame on me.

“NO ONE has read the bill
All Hail Obama!
All Hail the State!
Liberals are sheep and too stupid for words”
Ah. But this is what us Liberals think of you Conservatives…hmmm…

“If she votes for the Bill, we begin calling friends and family in Maine to make sure they vote against her in November. There is a consequence to voting personal views at the expense and with indifference for the will of their constituents, and ALL Representatives that think they know better then the people who voted them into office will be sitting home knitting quilts come December. Elitist.
TB
NY Democrat”
By all means, sir or madam, you feel free to do that. I can guarantee you will fail. Senator Snowe will vote for the best interest of the people, not for what she feels is in her best political interest. The Maine people will be quite aware of this, and trust in Snowe’s wisdom and experience like they have for many years now. A New York democrat is not going to change that.
Like I said before though, feel free to try, because I know you will fail.

I also find it amusing how every conservative I meet, whether it be in real life, or on the internet, has a tendency to villainize liberals, making them out to be the dirtiest scum on this earth. It’s kind of funny too.

Senator Snowe must want to retire early. Her yes vote on the Baucus bill will take care of that.

Why doesn’t she just become a democrat?