| Max Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee reported out a very good version of the SCHIP Reauthorization bill today -- meaning that we're close to getting a bill on President-Elect Obama's desk very, very soon.
The goal now is to hold on to what was won in the committee, which includes some good things like allowing states to cover eligible children for dental insurance, even if they have medical insurance through other means.
Dental coverage for children is crucial to lifelong health of teeth and lifelong health overall. This is a great call.
The better news is that this bill sailed pretty smoothly, with bipartisan support (the Dems and Sen. Olympia Snowe voted for it in committee). The other good sign is, frankly, Sen. Grassley's temper tantrum. He complained as reported by CQ: The nearly five-hour markup turned contentious at points, with Republicans, including ranking member Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, claiming that Democrats had shut them out of the process and betrayed compromises worked out on similar bills in the 110th Congress.
"It makes me damned disgusted," Grassley told the panel. "We had all sorts of cooperation.... Now it's kind of feeling like you're thrown overboard." Sen. Grassley is right that the two sides compromised in 2008. They worked together, in an environment with 49 Ds, 49 Rs, and two Is caucusing with the Ds. They passed those bills only to see President Bush veto them. The voters spoke and created a U.S. Senate with 56 Ds, 41 Rs, 2 Is caucusing with the Ds, and a vacancy waiting for a D to be seated.
So, um, yeah, last year's compromises are no longer operational. The American people spoke and they said it is time to take some major action. It was the American people, not the Democrats on the Finance Committee, who threw Grassley's colleagues overboard. Let's just be clear about that. |
