New York Times editors say it has "some imperfections." True. Here's the other side of the story. It will:
... cover more than 30 million of the uninsured and would, by 2019, result in 94 percent of all citizens and legal residents below Medicare age having health insurance. That is a big improvement from the current 83 percent
... reduce deficits over the next decade by $132 billion and even more in the following decade
And
... tax credits to help small businesses buy coverage have been expanded
No less crucial is how it builds barriers against insurance companies from continuing to lie and cheat.
... New entities would be given greater powers than previously planned to test and implement cost-saving measures free of political lobbying.
...Insurance companies will be deterred from jacking up premiums just before the reforms take effect, prohibited from imposing lifetime limits on benefits and annual limits will be tightly restricted. Insurers will also be required to spend more on medical care and less on administrative costs and profits than they currently do.
Now turn to a report on page 1 about the bill's risky future. Will it survive the next hurdles, the biggest of which may be the abortion issue?
In the House, advocates and opponents of abortion rights and conservative Democrats have made clear that they object, for different reasons, to the Senate’s compromise language on abortion.
Ms. Pelosi’s room for maneuvering is limited because any changes to the language in the Senate bill could unravel the deal that provided Democrats with the 60 votes they need to get the legislation through the Senate.
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, said, “There is a natural tendency to split the difference between the Senate and the House.” But on major issues in the health bill, Mr. Lieberman said, “splitting the difference means you won’t have 60 votes in the Senate.”
Lotsa fun and thrills ahead.
