男女羞羞视频在线观看,国产精品黄色免费,麻豆91在线视频,美女被羞羞免费软件下载,国产的一级片,亚洲熟色妇,天天操夜夜摸,一区二区三区在线电影

Asia-Pacific

Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-13 22:39
Large Medium Small

WASHINGTON: With congressional negotiators starting to make decisions on a final health overhaul bill, top Democrats are hoping a White House session with President Barack Obama will narrow differences between the House and Senate.

Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health
President Barack Obama at a roundtable discussion on healthcare during a visit to the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC in July. [Agencies]Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health

Obama was to meet Wednesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and other Democratic leaders to discuss the massive legislation. Negotiators from the White House and the two chambers have begun closed-door meetings already and seem likely to abandon a House-approved surtax on the wealthy even as they consider extending the Medicare payroll tax to investment income of high earners, Democratic officials said.

"I have so much faith in the president of the United States and his ability to be persuasive," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.

On another major difference between the two chambers, bargainers are considering a combination of the national insurance exchange the House approved and the Senate's preference for letting each state establish its own exchange, Democratic officials said. The exchanges in effect would be marketplaces where consumers could compare competing health care policies before purchasing them.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not free to disclose details of the negotiations.

The House returned from its year-end break on Tuesday, and Democrats met immediately to get an update from their leaders. Lawmakers left that session expressing a mix of resolve to craft a compromise and defiance of Senate Democrats, who passed their version of the bill on Christmas Eve without a vote to spare. House passage in November was also a nail-biter, 220-215.

"A lot of people think we have a gun to our head and don't like it very much," said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., referring to senators' insistence that their bill can't be changed much without risking anew the 60 votes they need for passage. He said there was a "squeal like pigs" coming from the Senate about the difficulties of retaining those 60 votes.

Related readings:
Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health US health bill clears key Senate test
Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health US Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
Obama, congressional Democrats meeting on health House health bill unacceptable to many in Senate
 

After letting Congress provide most of the legislation's details last year, Obama in recent days has spelled out his preferences on two measures aimed at curbing health care costs. He has told lawmakers he wants at least a pared-down tax on high-cost insurance plans, which is opposed by labor and House Democrats, and favors a commission with power to order cuts to Medicare spending in some circumstances.

His more forceful role underscores the White House desire for Obama to sign a bill before he delivers his State of the Union address, perhaps early next month.

Among the remaining House-Senate disputes are restrictions each chamber approved on federal financing of abortions. The House voted for the stricter version of the two, and some anti-abortion and abortion-rights Democrats have threatened to abandon the final package unless the language is to their liking.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who led the successful fight last month for the House bill's tight anti-abortion language, said in an interview Tuesday that he has had two broad discussions with House leaders about that issue. He said he believes his provision — or something very close to it — has popular support but did not rule out striking a compromise.

"How we work that out I guess remains to be seen, but I think in the long run it can be worked out," he said.

In dealing the remaining issues described by Democratic officials, negotiators:

Are considering extending the Medicare payroll tax, which now applies only to wages, to some of the investment earnings of couples making more than $250,000 a year and individuals earning more than $200,000.

Seem likely to drop the House-passed income tax boost on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and couples making over $1 million.

Might jettison a House-approved requirement for large businesses to provide health coverage for their workers.

Could include more federal money to help states pay for an expansion of the federal-state Medicaid insurance program for the poor. That issue flared after Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., the critical 60th vote for the health care bill in the Senate, got a deal for the federal government to pay the full cost of Medicaid expansion in his state permanently, while other states would have to pick up part of the tab after a few years.

主站蜘蛛池模板: 卢湾区| 惠东县| 双鸭山市| 大城县| 西和县| 彰武县| 高淳县| 叙永县| 青阳县| 北碚区| 哈尔滨市| 平远县| 镇原县| 武邑县| 衡南县| 资阳市| 石林| 黔南| 和顺县| 岢岚县| 天镇县| 保定市| 贞丰县| 鹤山市| 蓝田县| 梅河口市| 惠水县| 囊谦县| 响水县| 怀宁县| 呼伦贝尔市| 句容市| 江永县| 中江县| 桂阳县| 怀远县| 拜泉县| 博湖县| 石阡县| 大竹县| 曲周县| 宁晋县| 绵竹市| 出国| 隆尧县| 嘉鱼县| 翁牛特旗| 连云港市| 灵台县| 乌恰县| 涞源县| 遵化市| 中山市| 莱州市| 开化县| 富川| 正阳县| 阿荣旗| 随州市| 长海县| 隆尧县| 电白县| 勐海县| 绍兴市| 垦利县| 九江县| 庄浪县| 鱼台县| 平远县| 楚雄市| 华安县| 娱乐| 奉化市| 城步| 永嘉县| 沙洋县| 芜湖市| 观塘区| 靖江市| 海宁市| 江口县| 灵山县|