AMA buyoff fails in the Senate
The Senate voted down a "doc fix" bill today, which was spending that was nothing more than a payoff to the American Medical Association and doctors:
A group of Democrats joined all Republicans in blocking a 10-year freeze of scheduled cuts to doctors' Medicare payments, legislation that was considered important to getting a broader healthcare bill through later this year.The reason this was separated from the health care bill was make it appear to cost less. The 10 year cost of this bill was $247 billion and was not funded through spending cuts in other areas. So much for those phantom savings from ObamaCare.Prior to the 47-53 procedural vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blamed the American Medical Association (AMA) for giving him bad information on the number of Republicans expected to support the measure.
Reid had offered the doctors group a deal to pass the "doctors' fix" in return for support from the doctors on President Barack Obama's broader healthcare initiative, which is slated for the Senate floor later this year.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wasn't happy. Saying he was told he had the votes. He also made some off claims that were fact-checked by The Hill. Reid's aides are quoted in the New York Times floating the possibility on an amendment to the health care bill, pushing the cost over $1 trillion.
Want to know how you Senator voted? See the vote here.
